WA’s Karl Vilips has been voted the 2024 Korn Ferry Tour (KFT) Rookie of the Year by his fellow members after his scorching start to life as a professional.
Vilips, aged 23, only turned pro in June after graduating from Stanford University, making two starts on the PGA Tour Americas before his KFT debut as a sponsors exemption in July.
It’s fair to say Vilips made the most of the opportunity as he scored consecutive top-15 finishes before a runner-up spot at the NV5 Invitational in Illinois at the end of July.
He then won his very next event, the Utah Championship, and needed only 10 events to secure his PGA Tour card for 2025 courtesy of finishing in 19th place on the season-ending standings.
A child prodigy in WA before moving to the US in his high school years, Vilips concluded his collegiate career ranked No. 5 in Stanford history in career scoring average (71.04), trailing only Tiger Woods (70.96), Michael Thorbjornsen (70.40), Patrick Rodgers (70.31) and Maverick McNealy (70.12).
The KFT’s Rookie of the Year Award has only been in existence since 2018. Its highest-profile past winner is Scottie Scheffler in 2019.
Aussie golf fans will be able to witness Vilips in action on home soil at the upcoming ISPS HANDA Australian Open in Melbourne at the end of November.
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