Philippe was encouraged by his father to start playing golf at the age of nine and soon went on to establish a first-class amateur record on the Continent. From 1966 to 1970 he was a member of Belgium's Eisenhower Trophy team and upon turning professional in 1970 became a regular World Cup representative for Belgium. The high point of his career came with his sudden-death victory over Bob Shearer in the 1974 Benson and Hedges Festival.