For PGA Tour rookie Karl Vilips, the last month has been decidedly life-changing. And the way it ended came as a shock to the new pro: with a voicemail from his idol Tiger Woods.
Just a few weeks ago, the 23-year-old Australian pro signed with Sun Day Red, becoming the first brand ambassador for Woods’ new golf apparel brand (other than Tiger himself, of course).
“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,” Vilips said at the time. “I couldn’t be more proud to be the brand’s first official ambassador.”
Vilips earned the endorsement by tearing through multiple levels of golf on his way to the big leagues. He played college golf at Stanford, Woods’ alma mater, and then won Rookie of the Year honors on the Korn Ferry Tour last year, earning his PGA Tour card in the process.
Then this week, while the Tour’s elite were battling at Bay Hill, Vilips went out and won the Puerto Rico Open to add “PGA Tour winner” to his resume.
Vilips went 65-67-66-64 at Grand Reserve Golf Club for a total score of 26 under and a three-shot victory in the tournament, which is one of the PGA Tour’s Additional Events. It was just the fourth Tour start of his career.
In addition to $720,000 and a spot in this week’s Players Championship, the win also earned Vilips a voicemail from Woods.
Following his round, Vilips told reporters that after sinking his winning putt, he found an unknown number had texted him, called him and left a voicemail. He soon found out that Tiger was the source of the messages, a fact that left him speechless during his press conference.
“Yeah, it was tough because I got on my phone after the round and I was just scrolling, like who was texting me? I think I got one from a random number that called me as well,” Vilips shared on Sunday. “Then there was a voicemail saying it’s Tiger and I couldn’t like process it in the moment, I was just trying to — I’ll get back to that later. That’s pretty cool.”
He went on to explain how much more the win means now that he’s a brand-new ambassador for Tiger’s brand.
“I think it’s really special. I think it shows me that there’s a reason why they chose me to rep their brand and I’m just really happy to be able to do it in a way that’s, you know, as myself,” Vilips said. “It’s really cool and I know everyone at Sun Day Red team is going to be super happy. You’ve got to look good to play good, so yeah, it’s really cool.”
