Karl Vilips could be one of the greats of Australian golf according to the coach who took Jason Day to world No.1
Col Swatton, who steered Jason Day to world No.1, has been a key part of Vilips' team since his college days at Stanford and declared the 23-year-old Australian was 'definitely ahead of the curve' having already netted two professional wins, including a PGA tour breakthrough, in just 12 months since turning pro.
Vilips is one of seven Australians teeing it up at this week's PGA Championship at Quail Hollow in North Carolina and in a final few sessions in Florida last week, Swatton reaffirmed his young charge had a 'superpower' that sets him apart from other young players.
'I think it's his maturity and his ability to process information but also be honest in what was happening with his game,' Swatton said.
'I reminded him of this before he came to Quail Hollow. I said his ability to be honest enough and brutal enough in what happens from a week-to-week perspective on tour ... that allows him to grow. I told him that was one of his superpowers.
'That questioning (of his game) allows him to be in a position where only a few are at his age.'
A meeting at the start of the year where Vilips spoke about how he would play in one of the $30m Signature events at RBC Heritage, an event he wasn't qualified for and would likely need a win beforehand to get into, particularly struck Swatton.
Vilips then went and won his first PGA Tour event in Puerto Rico that not only got him into the RBC but into the majors and secured paying rights in the US until the end of 2027.
'I thought to myself, he's a kid that saw himself somewhere months before it happened, and it's the law of attraction, what you will focus on will become your belief and your future,' Swatton said.
'I told him he will have a better career on the PGA Tour than he will at Stanford. From here on in it's a matter of trying to continually improve … but we also have to not be overzealous in our expectations.'
Expectations are, however, growing for Vilips, who Swatton said was far more progressed than Day at the same age.
'He hasn't played that many professional events, but he's won two times in the past six months,' he said.
'He's definitely on a trajectory and a curve. I said to him it even took Jason Day three years to figure out how to win on the PGA Tour, he (Vilips) already has within his first four events.
'He is definitely ahead of the curve and he could be really, really special given the right environment, the right people around him, the right information, he could be one of Australia's great golfers.'
US PGA Championship
Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, North Carolina
2024 champion: Xander Schauffele
Past Aussie winners: Jim Ferrier (1947), David Graham (1979), Wayne Grady (1990), Steve Elkington (1995), Jason Day (2015)
TV times: Live 3am-9am Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
A ustralians in the field
Cameron Davis
World ranking: 68
Previous appearances: 4 (2021-2024)
Best finish: T4 (2023)
Jason Day
World ranking: 32
Previous appearances: 15 (2010-2024)
Best finish: 1st (2015)
Min Woo Lee
World ranking: 27
Previous appearances: 3 (2022-2024)
Best finish: T18 (2023)
Adam Scott
World ranking: 40
Previous appearances: 24 (2001-2024)
Best finish: 3rd (2018)
Cameron Smith
World ranking: 148
Previous appearances: 9 (2015, 2017-2024)
Best finish: T9 (2023)
Elvis Smylie
World ranking: 206
Previous appearances: Nil
Karl Vilips
World ranking: 117
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