Fox posted his second-straight round of 70 on Saturday, recovering well after opening his round with three bogeys in his first five holes.
He bounced back with birdies on his seventh and 11th holes of the day, before ending his round with a rollercoaster of birdie, bogey, birdie, bogey, birdie to finish the day even.
Hillier, on the other hand, had a better second round than he did his first, going one-under on Saturday to improve to even par at the halfway point.
The 27-year-old carded three bogeys in his round, with two of those coming in the last four holes. However, he did have two birdies and an eagle in his round.
Hillier will tee off alongside American Ben Kern for his third round, at 4.10am NZT, while Fox will play alongside Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune as the group immediately after Hillier’s.
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.