Australian golfer Karl Vilips competing on the PGA Tour.
Karl Vilips was born in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 16 August 2001 and is an Australian citizen who spent much of his youth in Australia, including Melbourne and Perth. He began competing in tournaments at approximately six or seven years of age and became one of Australia’s leading junior golfers. From age 11, he studied and played in the United States, attending Saddlebrook Preparatory School in Florida before enrolling at Stanford University. A right-handed golfer, Vilips has been recognised for his power and putting and has progressed from elite junior golf to collegiate golf, the Korn Ferry Tour and the PGA TOUR. He turned professional in 2024 and, as of 13 August 2026, is listed as an active PGA TOUR player.
Vilips’ first major breakthrough came during his junior career when he won the boys’ individual gold medal at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires. His professional breakthrough followed in 2024, when he won on the Korn Ferry Tour in only his fourth start after graduating from Stanford and qualified for the PGA TOUR through the PGA TOUR University pathway after finishing No. 10 in the 2024 rankings.
PGA TOUR profile data lists one PGA TOUR victory and career PGA TOUR earnings of US$2,089,670. Stanford recorded a 71.06 career scoring average, one collegiate victory, 11 career top-10 finishes and 24 top-20 finishes. His collegiate honours included 2024 PING All-America Second Team, 2024 PING All-West Region, two-time All-Pac-12 First Team selection, 2022 All-Pac-12 Second Team and the 2021 All-Pac-12 Newcomer Team. He won the 2024 Pac-12 Championship.
Winning the boys’ individual gold medal at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics was a defining amateur achievement. Other important milestones included reaching the quarter-finals of the 2019 U.S. Amateur, finishing No. 10 in the 2024 PGA TOUR University Ranking, winning on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2024 and winning the 2025 Puerto Rico Open in his third PGA TOUR start as a member. The Puerto Rico Open victory was also significant because it secured qualification for the PGA Championship and came after a back injury had delayed his TOUR season debut.