In his very first season on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2024, Karl Vilips got a win and a runner-up finish. Despite starting his season in July, his excellent efforts helped him finish 19th on the season’s leaderboard three months later. That earned him the Rookie of the Year award and a PGA Tour card for 2025. Within a matter of months, Vilips went from a nobody to one of the most promising talents in golf. So, when Tiger Woods came knocking on his door, he knew he had earned the sponsorship deal from Sun Day Red. Nearly a year later, the 23-year-old still believes he has justified the faith the big cat had in him.
In an interview following his T19 finish in the 2025 Wyndham Championship, how he would rate his rookie season on the PGA Tour. Confident that he has proven himself, Vilips said, “I thought I definitely went above expectations. You know, I think where I wanted to be, I didn’t get to, which was a little bit unfortunate, but I’m really happy with what I saw throughout the year. Had some highs and lows, experienced it all kind of my first season.”
After spending 8 months on the Tour, Vilips has already had a win in the Puerto Rico Open and another top-10 finish under his belt. He was also quite impressive in the 2025 Charles Schwab Challenge, where he finished at T11. However, the Australian pro might have been disappointed that he didn’t make the top 70 of the FedEx Cup standings. Despite remaining quite consistent, he finished at 83rd, 106 points short of playoff qualifications. But the 1-time PGA Tour champion is still quite satisfied with everything he has achieved, considering that he’s still in his rookie season.
Karl added, “I’m just going to look at this season as a whole as a positive for sure, getting the win early, and go out next year and try to improve on what I did next year.” Even though he won a title pretty early on in 2025 as well, next year, he will be better prepared to face the challenges presented on the PGA Tour. While more doors will open up for him next year, seeing what he has achieved this season, there is no question that he will continue to progress as he has done ever since he joined the American League.
In fact, even if Vilips lacks confidence at any point, he can gain it back from the fact that Woods has spoken so fondly of him. Let’s see what the 82-time PGA Tour champion had to say.
Tiger Woods has faith in Karl Vilips’s journey
It came as a huge surprise to everyone when Tiger Woods’s Sun Day Red chose Karl Vilips as their first brand ambassador. Even the 23-year-old himself was astonished that he received the call from the band. Speaking about his first interaction with them, he said, “It’s a thrill to be a part of Sun Day Red, especially so early on as we start to grow the brand around the world.” Vilips also added, “Tiger Woods was my idol growing up, and knowing that he drives the insights and meticulousness behind Sun Day Red’s apparel and footwear gives us a unique edge that no other company can match. I couldn’t be more proud to be the brand’s first official ambassador.”
Despite being overwhelmed by the huge opportunity he had received, Karl responded quite maturely. Perhaps this was one of the qualities of the young star that impressed Woods. Speaking about Vilips, the 5-time major winner said, “Karl’s journey has been marked by success at every level he’s played. I have no doubt he will make a significant impact quickly on the PGA Tour and is one of the game’s future stars.” Hearing that one of the best golfers in history believes that he is the future of the sport must have definitely boosted the confidence of Karl Vilips. And if at any point, he feels that he can’t keep up with the pressure, he should come back to this message and remind himself that Tiger Woods believes that he can.
