Two of the PGA Tour’s newest members, Karl Vilips and Aldrich Potgieter, will compete in the Australian Summer of Golf in November and December.
Vilips (above right) grew up in WA before moving to the States during his high school years and turned pro earlier this year after graduating from Stanford University.
He finished second and first in his first two starts on the Korn Ferry Tour, helping him earn exempt status on the PGA Tour in 2025, where he will line up alongside fellow Aussies Adam Scott, Jason Day, Min Woo Lee and Cam Davis.
“I’ve been able to play some of the Sandbelt courses as an amateur, but to get to play Kingston Heath and Victoria in my national Open, alongside players like Min Woo Lee and Cam Smith, is going to be a huge highlight,” said Vilips.
“I can’t wait to play in front of the Aussie crowds and see plenty of family and friends while I’m home.”
Potgieter, meanwhile, confirmed that he will compete at the BMW Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland in late November – the first time he will tee it up as a professional in the country where he developed his game.
Twenty-year-old Potgieter (above left) became the Korn Ferry Tour’s youngest-ever winner in January when he won The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic. He finished 29th in the season-ending standings to secure his PGA Tour card for 2025.
Although born in Mossel Bay on South Africa’s Southern Cape, Potgieter moved to Perth with his family when he was a child, eventually becoming a member of GolfWA’s High Performance Program.
A member at Joondalup Country Club, he won the 2021 WA Amateur Championship and a year later, aged just 17, became the second-youngest winner in the history of the British Amateur Championship.
“Growing up in WA, I always enjoyed watching the big tournaments each summer every year in Australia,” Potgieter said.
“I can’t wait to get to Royal Queensland and experience everything about the BMW Australian PGA Championship. There’s plenty of the guys I came through the amateurs with who are now professional who I’m looking forward to catching up with.”
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