Australia’s newest PGA Tour player Karl Vilips has always followed in the footsteps of Tiger Woods and for his next mimicking act he wants to light up one of the world’s best courses like the 15-time major winner once did.

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The 23-year-old played college golf at Stanford University, like Woods, and after graduating in May, he earned a PGA Tour card five months later.

It has been a whirlwind starts to life as a professional for Vilips, who won on the Korn Ferry Tour in just his second start in the professional ranks and claimed the Rookie of the Year award like world number one Scottie Scheffler once did.

He strung together a series of good performances on the secondary US tour to ensure that come the Korn Ferry Tour Championship in October – where he adorned Woods’ new ‘Sun Day Red’ range of clothing – he was in the top 30 who advance to the PGA Tour.

Now, he returns to Melbourne – the city of his birth – to play in the Australian Open for the first time since he missed the cut as a teenager in Sydney seven years ago.

This time around, he is one of the headline acts at Kingston Heath – which will host the Presidents Cup in 2028 – and Victoria golf clubs rather than a kid looking for a taste of the big time, and he’s relishing the chance to strut his stuff where legends like Woods, Gary Player, Karrie Webb, Peter Thomson, Greg Norman, Ian Baker-Finch and Adam Scott have lifted trophies.

“It’s special. I get to show everyone that I’ve gotten a lot better since the last time I was here,” Vilips said.

“I’m really excited to show my game in front of the crowds here. Like you’re saying, they’re pretty rowdy and I want to get them to their max level there.

“Yeah, there’s definitely a little bit of expectation, but that’s what comes with it. So I’m just looking forward to embracing that and just trying to do my best to play good golf.”

Things have happened quickly for Vilips this year, but he has not come out of the blue.

He came to be known in golf circles more than a decade ago as a YouTube sensation.

His dad, Paul, started the channel and adopted the name ‘Koala Karl’ for his son, posting videos of trick shots, practice sessions and highlights of junior competitions to his channel’s more than 40,000 subscribers in scenes reminiscent of Woods’ television appearances as a child.

Travelling to America and winning the US Kids World Championship twice helped boost interest in his social media content, but it also proved he was a star on the rise.

Jet-setting soon become a regular part of Vilips’ life.

He traded Melbourne for Perth as a child, but moved to Florida during high school before four years in California as a college student.

Like some of Australia’s NBA players, Vilips’ time in America has largely washed away his Australian accent.

But he has personally maintained a strong connection to his home land.

As an amateur, he donning the green and gold at the World Amateur Team Championship, the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship and the Youth Olympics where he and fellow Australian Grace Kim – who is in the women’s field this week – took home gold in 2018.

“It’s great to be back home. Haven’t been back in a while, but I’m also very grateful to Golf Australia for getting me the invite here,” Vilips said. “Nothing really beats the Sandbelt, so excited to get out there.

“I played the 2019 Junior Presidents Cup just across the road at Royal (Melbourne). That was a really special experience representing international side there. And then I played the 2017 Aus Open at The Australian.

“I didn’t play great and missed the cut, but those were the last two competitive tournaments that I played here. I did come back in ‘22 just to play some catcher golf in Sydney, but before then I think it was just where I used to live down here on the Sandbelt.”

Vilips is hopeful of making his debut as a PGA Tour member in Hawaii in January, but he is locked in to play The American Express in California weeks later.

As he has been his entire golf journey, Vilips is not short of confidence ahead of taking on many of the best players in the world.

He had a taste of that experience at last year’s US Open – where he missed the cut – after making it through qualifying to earn a major debut.

Fronting up against the sport’s elite week-in, week-out is a different proposition, however.

Not that he is concerned.

“I think I just keep doing what I’m doing, should be fine,” he said.

“I’m just looking to play really good golf out there and whatever happens, happens and I think my game’s good enough to continue keeping my cards and notch up a couple wins if possible and everything clicks for a week, but just got to get that to 125 I think for keeping your card. So looking to set the asides beyond that.

“My coach, Colin Swatton, mental coach Rick Sessinghaus they’ve been huge in getting me ready for the Tour.

“I think it just comes with a lot of deliberate preparation, mental processes, all the things to get me ready to play the 72nd hole on a Sunday. I think I’ve been working hard at it, learning through experience.

“All that I think is going to get me ready for the PGA Tour.”