Daniel Hillier’s birdie blitz puts him four shots off lead entering Australian Open final round

Saturday, 6 December 2025

New Zealand's Daniel Hillier is four shots off the lead at the Australian Open in Melbourne (file pic).

Wellington’s Daniel Hillier will enter the final round of the Australian Open four shots off the lead.

Hillier is the top Kiwi after three rounds at Royal Melbourne, firing six birdies in his four-under 67 on Saturday.

That leaves the 27-year-old tied at 10-under for the tournament, in a share of sixth place with Australian star Min Woo Lee and veteran Adam Scott, a former World No 1.

The trio are four shots back of Denmark's Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, who finished his third round with three straight birdies to card a five-under 66.

South Korea’s Si Woo Kim, Australian Cam Smith, and Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz are two shots back at 12-under.

Wellington’s Daniel Hillier had six birdies in his four-under third round at the Australian Open (file pic).

Hillier produced a strong finish on his back nine after double bogeying the seventh hole.

He fired off four straight birdies from holes 11-14, hitting six in total for his round, leaving him well placed entering Sunday’s final round.

Hillier and fellow Kiwi Ryan Fox both began the day at six-under-par, just three shots off the pace.

Ryan Fox had four straight bogeys early in his third round at the Australian Open.

Fox had a horror start to the third round, rattling off four straight bogeys. He eventually found his groove, producing blemish-free golf over the rest of his round, delivering four birdies in his even par 71.

Fox is in a group of nine tied at six-under for the tournament, eight back from leader Neergaard-Petersen.

Hillier arrived in Australia having agonisingly missed a PGA Tour spot in the DP World Tour finale in Dubai by what he reckoned was a mere two or three shots.

He played well to finish tied for fifth at the Australian PGA Championship last week, as he and Fox try to break the Kiwi hoodoo in Australia’s oldest golf tournament.

A New Zealander has yet to win Australia’s oldest golf tournament, first played in 1904.

“That is pretty crazy (no New Zealand winner). There’s a lot of pretty awesome competition out there so it’s a tough one to win, but it’d be nice to have a good weekend and give it a shot,” Hillier said on Friday.

Auckland’s Nick Voke is at two-under through three rounds in a share of 41st place.

Another New Zealander Kazuma Kobori earlier missed the cut at three-over, after rounds of 75 and 70.