RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico — Karl Vilips of Australia ran off three straight birdies to break out of an unexpected duel and played his best golf down the stretch Sunday for an 8-under 64 to win the Puerto Rico Open, his first PGA Tour victory in just his third start as a pro.
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The new “Sun Day Red” brand of Tiger Woods adorned the apparel of a PGA Tour winner, and it was Vilips, the Stanford alum who has built his life around playing on the PGA Tour for as long as he can remember.
The victory gets him into The Players Championship next week and the PGA Championship in May, along with a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour.
“It’s a dream come true for me and my dad,” said Vilips, referring to a father who helped create a path to a U.S. school since Vilips was 11, a top junior career and scholarship to Stanford. The 23-year-old spent one year on the Korn Ferry Tour.
“This is what we dreamed of as a kid,” he said.
Vilips responded to a sensational charge by Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen of Denmark, who birdied six straight holes to start the back nine and closed with a 63. The Dane briefly took the lead when Vilips made a bogey on the 12th hole with a wedge from the fairway.
Vilips never flinched. He birdied the next three holes, including a nifty pitch to set up birdie on the par-5 14th hole to regain the lead, and a tee shot to 5 feet for birdie on the par-3 15th.
He was never out of position the rest of the way and holed a 6-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a three-shot victory.
“Come on!” he yelled when the final birdie fell.
Neergaard-Petersen was playing on a commissioner’s exemption for international players. He fell back with a 73 on Saturday and then came charging on the final day.
The runner-up finish gets him into the Valspar Championship in two weeks.
“When I made the putt on the 15th is when I thought if I can post a good number, we’ll see,” Neergaard-Petersen said. “I’m super happy for the day. I’m looking forward to another opportunity.”
Joseph Bramlett, another Stanford alum, shot 68 to finish alone in third, five shots behind.
Kieron Van Wyk, the South African trying to become the second amateur in as many years to win on the PGA Tour, didn’t make enough birdies to keep up. He finished with a 70 and tied for fourth with Steven Fisk (68).
Vilips, who finished at 26-under 262, earned $720,000. Because the tournament was held the same week as the Arnold Palmer Invitational, he does not get a Masters invitation by winning.