Dan is the man.
New Zealand golf fans have known that for a while, but it was really driven home at Millbrook over the past four days.
Classy Kiwi golfer Daniel Hillier was the highest-ranked player in the field for the $2million New Zealand Open and he played like it.
He also attracted the biggest galleries the tournament has seen in years as the fans flocked to see the DP World Tour star become the first New Zealand winner of the Open since Michael Hendry in 2017.
Hillier, 27, held a one-shot lead after a wonderful finish to his third round on Saturday, posting 7-under 64, and showed all his class to move serenely to a 4-under 67 yesterday to finish 22-under for the tournament.
Australian star Lucas Herbert was second at 20-under, and Kerry Mountcastle (New Zealand) and Tomoyo Ikemura (Japan) were three shots further back.
Eight days after getting married, Hillier had damp eyes but a broad smile as it sank in that he had finally won the trophy he coveted most.
“The blood was pumping, the adrenaline was going — I’m really proud of how I stuck with it today,” he said.
“My hands are still shaking. It’s just been incredible. A dream come true, and I’m so stoked I managed to do it.”
Most golfers reel off a dozen shots when talking about a championship round but Hiller said he genuinely struggled to recall any apart from the final putt that sealed victory.
“I just about had tears in my eyes, to be honest. All sorts of emotions were going. It’s all a bit of a blur. But the last putt was pretty cool.
“When I think about it, it gets me choked up again.
“I think this is going to be the best eight days of my life forever.
“The wedding is the best day of my life, and this is the best day of my life on the golf course.”
Hillier loved the response of the big Millbrook crowd.
“Those were the best crowds I’ve played in front of. It was awesome.”
Saturday’s third round was played in glorious conditions, but the final round yesterday was challenging, with a spell of steady rain and blustery winds.
With scoring unlikely to be hot, the emphasis was on playing smart, risk-free golf, and Hillier barely put a foot wrong.
Every time the dangerous Herbert looked like making a move, Hillier was there to put the Arrowtown fans at ease.
Hiller found the sand on the seventh hole but played a lovely recovery shot to make birdie.
His putt of the day came on the ninth when he drained a 15-footer to move to 20-under.
Hillier, who came into the week with seven professional wins — his last the British Masters three years ago — but a best of T12 at the New Zealand Open, struck his lone bum note on the 10th, when he three-putted for a first bogey since the second round.
But his response was magnificent.
He landed a lovely approach on the 11th and drained the birdie putt, stroked a 14-foot putt for birdie on the 12th and suddenly had a three-shot lead with six to play.
Even after Hillier over-shot the 14th green, he did not blink, and he came home with four pars and a nice birdie on 17 after he went within an inch of a bunker with his tee shot.
Herbert, one group ahead, really needed to make a move, but firing just two birdies in his final eight holes was not enough, though a consolation was earning a spot at the British Open, as Hillier already has exemption.
Hillier’s victory continues a sizzling start to the year in which he has had two top-five finishes on the DP World Tour and has charged to fifth on the order of merit.
Sizzling sums up his final five holes in Saturday’s third round at Millbrook.
He went birdie, birdie, par, eagle, birdie over the final five holes to card the 64 that gave him a slight buffer ahead of championship day.
Mountcastle, the qualified electrician, was tied for second after the third round with Australian Curtis Luck.
The Wairarapa man could not quite spark up yesterday, making three bogies and three birdies to slip off the pace.
Hendry tied for 10th at 12-under, Sam Jones tied for 14th at 11-under, and Kazuma Kobori tied for 19th at 10-under.
Also, at 10-under were American star Kevin Na and Christchurch sensation Yuki Miya, who was tied for the lead with Hillier after the opening round and held the outright lead at the halfway point.
Miya claimed the Bledisloe Cup for leading amateur.
Queenstown golfer Ben Campbell tied for 36th at 6-under.
Western Australian golfer Haydn Barron won the pro-am championship with amateur partner Sam Aitkenhead, finishing at 39-under, four shots clear of the field.
NZ Open
Final scores
-22 Daniel Hillier (NZ)
-20 Lucas Herbert (Aus)
-17 Tomoyo Ikemura (Japan), Kerry Mountcastle (NZ)
-16 Travis Smyth (NZ)
-14 Charlie Lindh (Sweden), Ren Yonezawa (Japan), Wade Ormsby (Aus)
-13 Naoyuki Kataoka (Japan)
-12 Rintaro Nakano (Japan), Jay Mackenzie (Aus), Michael Hendry (NZ), Ryosuke Kinoshita (Japan)
-11 Hongtaek Kim (Korea), Brett Rankin (Aus), Riki Kawamoto (Japan), Chan Choi (Korea), Sam Jones (NZ)
-10 Kazuma Kobori (NZ), Kevin Na (USA), Haydn Barron (Aus), Yuki Miya (NZ)
-9 MJ Maguire (USA), Nick Watney (USA), Austen Truslow (USA), Curtis Luck (Aus)
-8 Harrison Crowe (Aus), Jack Thompson (Aus), Connor McKinney (Aus), Declan O’Donovan (Aus)
-7 Sanghun Shin (Korea), Matias Sanchez (Aus), Sam Brazel (Aus), Doyeob Mun (Korea), Steven Alker (NZ)
hayden.meikle@odt.co.nz