Daniel Hillier, a 28-year-old professional from New Zealand, has made some memorable swings in his career. In 2023, he made two eagles in his last four holes at the British Masters to secure his first DP World Tour victory; played in three of the four majors (still working in the Masters); and earlier this year, following his victory at the New Zealand Open, he reached the top 100 in the world ranking.
On Thursday, Hillier added another swing memory to the scrapbook — an unlikely one — with his tee shot on the par-3 17th hole in the first round of the Spanish Open.
Hillier did not like the strike. Not by any stretch.
“I did it a little bit,” he later confessed.
However, the ball maintains its line – directly to the front-left pin position.
“I told her to go all the way, but she hung in the air for a little longer than I thought,” he said. “And then, yes, I heard some cheering.”
Hole-in-one Cheers.
That meant not only a rare “1” on Hillier’s scorecard at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, but, thanks to a sponsor promotion, also a new car for his garage.
A BMW iX5 SUV, valued at 140,338 euros, or almost $160,000.
“I didn’t realize a car was being offered,” Hillier said. “I closed it pretty quickly, but absolutely stoked and very grateful. It’s going to be a long journey, though (to New Zealand), I know that much.”
The ace helped Hillier to an opening four-under 67. At the start of his second round on Friday, Hillier had added another birdie to climb to five-under for the week, putting him four times clear of the leader in the clubhouse Scotsman Grant Forrest.
Hillier said he didn’t see the ball drop for his fifth ace ever, but the crowd’s reaction told him all he needed to know.
“You can’t see the bottom of the hole from the tee, so yeah, he saw everyone jump into the back of the grandstand there,” he said. “A little bit of disbelief for a while, but it’s great to see it coming in.”
Yes, especially after taking the toe.
