Karl Vilips claims first professional victory at Korn Ferry Tour’s Utah Championship
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In his sixth start as a professional, Karl Vilips claimed his first career victory at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank and Intermountain Health and climbed to No. 15 on the points list. The 22-year-old’s victory was promptly due after finishing inside the top 15 in his past three events, including a runner-up finish at the NV5 Invitational presented by Old National Bank. As a tournament winner, Vilips upgraded his Korn Ferry Tour membership to fully exempt after originally having conditional status from finishing No. 10 in the PGA TOUR University Class of 2024.
“We keep doing what we're doing, just getting as far up that points list as I can,” said Vilips in his post-round interview Sunday. “A really ambitious goal at this point is to get No. 1 on the points list, but that would take a few more wins. We're just going to try to win every time we step up on the first tee of a tournament and the expectations now are to get that PGA TOUR card.”
Vilips became the 17th PGA TOUR University alum to win a professional event and brought the total number of victories for alumni to 25. This season alone, eight victories have been claimed across three tours, as Vilips joins six additional alumni in the winner’s circle: Austin Eckroat (PGA TOUR) Chris Gotterup (PGA TOUR), Davis Thompson (PGA TOUR), John Pak (Korn Ferry Tour), Frederik Kjettrup (PGA TOUR Americas)and Ryan Burnett (PGA TOUR Americas).
The top 30 finishers at the end of the Korn Ferry Tour season will earn PGA TOUR cards for the 2025 season. Eight PGA TOUR University alumni sit inside the top 30, and William Mouw further solidified his positioning in the points list to No. 19 with a solo fourth at the Utah Championship. Logan McAllister recorded his best finish of the season with a T8, alongside Ross Steelman who posted his best showing since the opening event of the season.
Three PGA TOUR University alumni represented their respective countries for the first time at the Men’s Olympic Golf Competition at Le Golf National last week. Ludvig Åberg (Sweden) led the charge in 8-under and finished T18, followed by Belgium’s Adrien Dumont de Chassart (T40/-1) and Chinese Taipei’s Kevin Yu (52nd/+4). The PGA TOUR will conclude the regular season this week at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina at Sedgefield Country Club. Currently, three alumni are in the top 70 of the FedExCup standings and in position to qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs: Åberg (6th), Thompson (24th) and Eckroat (49th).
In the final event of a four-week stretch on PGA TOUR Americas, John Keefer recorded his third runner-up finish of the season at the BioSteel Championship in Windsor, Ontario. Keefer has yet to finish outside of the top-25 in any start as a professional, as his resume includes six top-25s, highlighted by five top-10s and three runner-up finishes. The 23-year-old moved to No. 2 in the Fortinet Cup, and he is joined by Frederik Kjettrup (No. 3)and Ryan Burnett (No. 8)as alumni in position to finish inside the top 10 of the Fortinet Cup and earn a Korn Ferry Tour card for the 2025 season.
PGA TOUR University Alumni – Korn Ferry Tour Points List
Rank | Player | Points | Events | Best finish of season |
10 | Quade Cummins | 999 | 19 | T2, The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic |
15 | Karl Vilips* | 895 | 4 | 1st, Utah Championship |
16 | Jackson Suber | 868 | 18 | 2nd, Compliance Solutions Championship |
18 | John Pak | 819 | 15 | 1st, Compliance Solutions Championship |
19 | William Mouw | 814 | 17 | T2, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open |
23 | Sam Bennett | 724 | 18 | T3, twice |
24 | Trent Phillips | 723 | 19 | T2, The Panama Championship |
27 | Noah Goodwin | 663 | 17 | T3, Price Cutter Charity Championship |
33 | Ricky Castillo | 545 | 19 | T5, Twice |
42 | Ross Steelman | 452 | 18 | 3rd, The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic |
63 | Matthew Riedel* | 325 | 8 | T2, The Ascendant |
68 | Cole Hammer | 292 | 19 | 6th, Astara Golf Championship |
87 | Logan McAllister | 227 | 18 | T8, Utah Championship |
90 | Garett Reband | 212 | 15 | T3, Astara Chile Classic |
99 | Patrick Welch | 192 | 19 | 13th, UNC Health Championship |
108 | Trevor Werbylo | 150 | 18 | T9, Veritex Bank Championship |
115 | Austin Greaser* | 144 | 8 | T4, Memorial Health Championship |
116 | Fred Biondi | 143 | 17 | T7, The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic |
122 | Ryan Hall | 132 | 13 | T14, UNC Health Championship |
126 | Nick Gabrelcik* | 115 | 8 | T7, Price Cutter Charity Championship |
131 | Yuxin Lin | 106 | 4 | 8th, Veritex Bank Championship |
134 | Christo Lamprecht* | 101 | 6 | T5, The Ascendant |
149 | William Moll* | 80 | 8 | 19th, NV5 Invitational |
155 | Connor Howe | 76 | 13 | T17, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open |
175 | Sam Choi | 45 | 10 | T19, Utah Championship |
179 | RJ Manke | 40 | 2 | T20, AdventHealth Championship |
182 | Cole Sherwood* | 38 | 6 | T46, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open |
207 | Ben Carr | 9 | 1 | T48, Club Car Championship |
221 | Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira | 6 | 2 | T51, Astara Golf Championship |
226 | Gustav Frimodt* | 6 | 2 | T55, Price Cutter Charity Championship |
*Class of 2024
PGA TOUR University Alumni – FedExCup Standings
Rank | Player | Points | Events | Best finish of season |
6 | Ludvig Åberg | 2,092 | 16 | 2nd, Twice |
24 | Davis Thompson | 1,333 | 22 | 1st, John Deere Classic |
49 | Austin Eckroat | 969 | 21 | 1st, Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches |
87 | Kevin Yu | 469 | 21 | T3, The American Express |
93 | Mac Meissner | 422 | 20 | 4th, Barracuda Championship |
95 | Chris Gotterup | 415 | 21 | 1st, Myrtle Beach Classic |
119 | Pierceson Coody | 303 | 19 | T2, ISCO Championship |
131 | Jacob Bridgeman | 255 | 19 | T14, RBC Canadian Open |
135 | Michael Thorbjornsen* | 232 | 6 | T2, John Deere Classic |
158 | Joe Highsmith | 157 | 19 | T6, Puerto Rico Open |
160 | Parker Coody | 151 | 20 | T6, Corales Puntacana Championship |
166 | Adrien Dumont de Chassart | 130 | 19 | T6, Puerto Rico Open |
*Class of 2024
PGA TOUR University Alumni – Fortinet Cup Standings
Rank | Player | Points | Events | Best finish of season |
2 | John Keefer* | 1,031 | 6 | 2nd, three times |
3 | Frederik Kjettrup* | 1,011 | 5 | 1st, twice |
8 | Ryan Burnett | 724 | 11 | 1st, Bromont Open presented by Desjardins |
14 | Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira | 487 | 12 | 2nd, The Beachlands Victoria Open |
17 | Chase Sienkiewicz | 445 | 12 | T3, Inter Rapídisimo Golf Championship |
27 | Derek Hitchner | 353 | 12 | T3, Totalplay Championship at Atlas Country Club |
36 | Ben Carr | 315 | 12 | T3, KIA Open |
44 | Michael Brennan* | 247 | 6 | T4, Explore NB Open |
62 | Yuxin Lin | 192 | 6 | T3, Totalplay Championship at Atlas Country Club |
64 | Dylan Menante* | 188 | 6 | T7, Explore NB Open |
70 | Reid Davenport | 172 | 12 | T8, Twice |
98 | Tommy Kuhl | 92 | 11 | T24, 69th ECP Brazil Open |
99 | Petr Hruby* | 91 | 6 | T12, Bromont Open presented by Desjardins |
113 | Bryce Lewis* | 75 | 6 | T12, Bromont Open presented by Desjardins |
117 | Ryggs Johnston* | 74 | 6 | T12, ATB Classic |
119 | RJ Manke | 71 | 6 | T12, Explore NB Open |
131 | Cameron Sisk | 56 | 6 | T22, Diners Club Peru Open |
143 | Maxwell Moldovan* | 46 | 6 | T17, BioSteel Championship |
145 | Cole Sherwood* | 45 | 1 | T18, ATB Classic |
167 | Sam Choi | 32 | 3 | T31, Bromont Open presented by Desjardins |
176 | Ben van Wyk* | 29 | 4 | T30, Commissionaires Ottawa Open |
188 | Karl Vilips* | 20 | 2 | T33, ATB Classic |
205 | Canon Claycomb* | 13 | 6 | T46, Bromont Open presented by Desjardins |
231 | Sampson Zheng* | 4 | 1 | T66, The Beachlands Victoria Open |
235 | Ben Lorenz* | 3 | 5 | 73rd, Bromont Open presented by Desjardins |
*Class of 2024