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A battle between the 17th and 223rd best golfers in the world was always going to see the odds stacked against Daniel Hillier.
The Kiwi carded a one-under 71 to miss out on his second DP World Tour victory to England’s Tyrrell Hatton by just one shot at the EmiratesGolf Club in Dubai and what would have been a $2.6 million payday.
Daniel Hillier's second place in Dubai earned him $1.6m. Photo / Getty Images
The 26-year-old pushed Hatton until the par-five 18th hole, needing to recreate his eagle from round two in order to force a playoff and the Englishman just needing par or better to take the title.
In the end, Hillier went close. A superb up-and-down birdie gave him outright second place after Laurie Canter had joined him on 13-under with his own birdie on the 18th, but Hatton made no mistake with his par putt to dash Hillier’s hopes and take his fifth Rolex Series title.
“I’m not going to lie, I was feeling pretty nervous on the back nine... I perhaps wanted it a little too much,” Hatton said on the 18th green after watching his birdie putt drop.
“I said earlier in the week, this is one of the events that you would like to have on your CV. It’s such an iconic event for the DP World Tour.
“To add my name to the list of the amazing champions that have been before me, and to have my name on that trophy now, it’s a dream come true.’’
Daniel Hillier shakes hands with Tyrrell Hatton. Photo / Getty Images
Hillier said while he was disappointed with how the tournament had ended, to be in contention up until the final hole of the first outing of the season was a fine start to 2025.
“I think the course suits me. But yeah, it was an amazing week. I do think that, yeah, I can compete when I’m on and hopefully I can come back and do better.
“One of my goals is to get off to a better start than I did the last couple of seasons. Kind of been playing catchup from the second half of the year, and yeah, it’s just nice to start off solid and come back here and have one of my best performances.
“Hats off to Tyrrell. He was pretty solid down the stretch there. He’s class. Well done to him.”
Canter’s birdie on the 18th pushed world number 3 Rory McIlroy to fourth at 12-under while 36-hole leader Scotland’s Ewan Ferguson faded in the final round with a three-over 75 to finish 16th.
Beginning the final round with a one-shot lead, Hillier will rue missed birdie opportunities that he needed to take in order to keep the heat on now eight-time European Tour winner Hatton.
Birdie looks on the sixth, seventh, 13th and 17th holes all failed to drop in a round where Hillier’s putter, which had put him in contention earlier in the tournament, couldn’t get hot as he chased Hatton.
Hillier said it was frustrating to see the lack of execution at crucial moments in his final round.
“It’s bittersweet, that’s for sure. Yeah, I didn’t have my best today obviously but I fought hard all day. Yeah, just barely gave myself a chance down the stretch.
The 12th hole in particular was a missed opportunity for the Porirua local to regain a share of the lead after an uncharacteristically poor approach from Hatton saw him score bogey and drop a shot – but Hillier’s par putt went wide and he remained a shot back as he too made bogey.
There were flashes of brilliance from Hillier, though, in the face of immense pressure. On the par-four ninth hole, he produced a magnificent up and down to save par and put the screws momentarily on Hatton, who responded in kind by making his own par and holding his two-shot lead at the turn.
Hatton’s class was evident and he showed all the composure of a four-time Rolex Series winner as he never looked flustered despite Hillier breathing down his neck – the LIV Golf star dropped just two shots in the final round on his way to victory.
Hillier’s compatriot Ryan Fox carded an even-par 72 in an up-and-down round of three birdies and three bogeys to finish nine-under for the tournament in a tie for tenth with Dylan Frittelli on his return to professional golf for the season.
The next DP World Tour event is the Ras Al Khaimah Championship at Al Hamra Golf Club.
Will Toogood is an online sports editor and golf reporter for the NZ Herald. He enjoys watching people chase a ball around on a grass surface so much he decided to make a living out of it.
