Daniel Hillier has been one of New Zealand’s standout golfing talents since his junior days. He won the Australian Boys’ Amateur in 2016 and was a two-time New Zealand Under-19 Champion (2015, 2016). Hillier also twice claimed the Bledisloe Cup (2016, 2018) as the leading amateur at the New Zealand Open, and in 2018, he was co-medalist—alongside Cole Hammer—at the U.S. Amateur.
At just 17, Hillier announced himself by winning the 2015 John Jones Steel Harewood Open on the Charles Tour, finishing at 11-under after three birdies in his final five holes. He later qualified for the 2019 U.S. Open through final qualifying at Walton Heath in England.
Hillier represented New Zealand at the 2018 Eisenhower Trophy in Ireland, where the team led after three rounds before finishing fourth; Hillier tied for third individually with an impressive 17-under total of 273.
Turning professional in September 2019, Hillier earned status on the PGA Tour of Australasia in early 2020. Despite the disruption of COVID-19, he excelled on the Charles Tour, winning two events — the NZ Super 6 Manawatu and the DVS Pegasus Open — and claiming the 2020 Order of Merit.
In 2021, Hillier qualified for The Open Championship after finishing top of Final Qualifying at Notts Golf Club with rounds of 64 and 69. He continued his rise on the Challenge Tour through 2021 and 2022, winning the Challenge Costa Brava (2021) and the Swiss Challenge (2022). His consistency earned him seventh place in the 2022 season-long rankings, securing his card for the 2023 DP World Tour season.
Hillier moved into the top ~95 of the 2024 season’s Race to Dubai rankings after a strong showing at the BMW PGA Championship, indicating he was on track to secure full DP World Tour playing rights for 2025. At the 2024 Open (at Royal Troon), he shot a third-round 69 to jump up to a tie for 15th—leap-frogging 39 places on the leaderboard. Hillier then represented New Zealand at the Olympic team (with Ryan Fox and Lydia Ko) as part of his national elevation in mid-2024.
In 2025, Hillier nearly claimed his second DP World Tour title when he finished runner-up by a stroke at the 2025 Hero Dubai Desert Classic, pocketing around US$1.8 million for the week. He remained in the top 5 of the Race to Dubai standings early in the 2025 season, confirming his strong form and status among the leading European-based professionals. Another solid result followed when he finished T-9 at the 2025 Hainan Classic, and his opening round at the 2025 DP World Tour Championship featured a bogey-free 5-under, tying for sixth mid-event and demonstrating strong finish-of-season form. Recently, Hillier finished T5 at the Abu Dhabi Championship, resulting in a rise to 17th on the Race to Dubai leaderboard and up to 165 on the Official World Golf Rankings.
With his trajectory firmly on the rise, Hillier is one of New Zealand’s leading golf professionals and a player with genuine major-win potential.
