PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – It was a call Karl Vilips will never forget.
The 23-year-old Australian was representing TaylorMade as he chased his PGA Tour dreams, but after winning 2024 Korn Ferry Tour Rookie of the Year and claiming his Tour card, Tiger Woods gave Vilips the honor of being the first Sun Day Red brand ambassador.
Sun Day Red, of course, is Woods’s clothing line, which is made in partnership with TaylorMade. The brand was first introduced last year after the 15-time major champion split with Nike after 27 years.
So how did the deal with Vilips come to fruition?
“It came about throughout my connections with TaylorMade,” Vilips said after a second-round 67 at the Cognizant Classic. “I’m very close with those guys. They’ve been helping me out for a long time. Then throughout the summer last year on the Korn Ferry I started playing well, and we kind of just decided to make it happen, and very fortunate to have been chosen by the GOAT himself.”
Born five years into Woods’s career, Vilips has repeatedly discussed his idolization of the 49-year-old. In 2008, Vilips met Woods in Australia, the same year Woods the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in epic fashion.
“The putt to force the playoff on 18 … I will remember that forever,” Vilips said. “Definitely is a highlight for me.”
A few years later, Vilips moved to the U.S. to chase his professional golf dream and at age 15 committed to Stanford, the same university Woods attended.
Recently, though, there has been minimal communication between Vilips and Woods, as Woods continues to grieve the death of his mother.
“It’s been a tough time for him, obviously,” Vilips said. “Reached out for that, but unless something crazy happens, I’ll try to reach out to him, but it’s not like a day-to-day communication thing.”
Woods, however, has expressed his excitement about having Vilips sponsor Sun Day Red.
“It’s exciting for us as a new company that we’re able to sign guys like Karl,” Woods said after his Feb. 18 TGL match. “It’s exciting for all of us to support us in starting his career. Just excited for this opportunity to grow the brand and be able to sign young kids that believe in what we’re trying to do.”
The feeling is mutual, but Vilips might still be pinching himself.
“It was definitely unexpected at first,” he said, “but when I got the call, I was excited and honored to be able to represent Tiger and Sun Day Red. I’m the first one, so that’s really cool.”
This article was originally published on www.si.com as PGA Tour Rookie Explains 'Unexpected' Partnership With Tiger Woods.
