Daniel Hillier shares lead at Qatar Masters
Daniel Hillier – file photo
New Zealander Daniel Hillier’s outstanding rookie season on the DP World Tour continues this week with a share of the lead midway through the second round of the Qatar Masters in Doha.
Through 11 holes of the darkness-suspended second round of the event at the Doha Golf Club, Hillier has added three birdies to his opening round of 7 under 65 and, at 10 under, he is tied in the lead with South African Thomas Aiken and Spain’s Santiago Tarrio.
Already a winner in his rookie season when successful at the British Masters, Hillier has a makeable birdie putt to take the outright lead when he returns to the 12th hole on Saturday morning after a sandstorm and lightning caused a knock-on effect to the schedule on day two.
Currently 26th in the Race to Dubai rankings, a win by Hillier this week would see the 25-year-old move within striking distance of one of the ten 2024 PGA Tour cards handed out to the leading ten players in the rankings and not otherwise exempt.
Hillier leads the players who graduated from the Challenge Tour and so the two-time New Zealand Amateur Champion and once the Australian Junior Champion is fulfilling the predictions of many who see the Wellingtonian as New Zealand’s next biggest star after Lydia Ko and Ryan Fox.
Jason Scrivener is the best of the Australians, the Perth golfer in a share of 24th after completing a second round of 69 well ahead of darkness causing play to be suspended.
