Stuff News Article.
Last updated Sunday 1st March 2026.
What a way to kick off your honeymoon.
Wellingtonian Daniel Hillier won the 105th New Zealand Open at Arrowtown’s Millbrook Resort on Sunday evening, snapping a near decade long drought for Kiwis.
Already ‘buzzing’ ahead of the tournament after marrying long-time partner Siobhan Weaver eight days earlier, the overnight leader expertly navigated trying conditions to card a 4-under 68 and seal a two-stroke victory over Australian Lucas Herbert.
“Oh mate, that is the second best day of my life behind my wedding last week,” an emotional Hillier said moments after punching the air with delight.
About an hour later, after a lengthy and emotional ceremony on the 18th green, his hands were still shaking when he sat down for his press conference.
“I’m lost for words, I’m so stoked I managed to do it today,” Hillier said, before re-living the few minutes he had to wait on the green before knocking in his final putt.
With Hillier already exempt for The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in July, Herbert earned a ticket to the major with his second-placed finish.
Hillier did earn some extra dosh – $334,800 to be precise – for his looming honeymoon, though, which is set to start with a trip to Melbourne for the Formula 1 next week, before continuing with some R&R in Fiji.
There will be plenty of celebrating before heading across the ditch, too, after putting together rounds of 63, 68, 64 and 67.
Having never finished better than 12th in his national open, the 27-year-old became the first Kiwi winner since Michael Hendry in 2017, and just the third since 2003 (Mahal Pearce), after finishing 22-under the card.
He went into the $2 million tournament as the favourite after bagging a couple of top-5 finishes on the DP World Tour to start 2026, and took a one-stroke lead into the final round on the back of his ‘crazy’ birdie, birdie, par, eagle, birdie finish to his third round.
Hillier only briefly lost the outright lead en route to hoisting the Brodie Breeze Trophy, when fellow Kiwi Kerry Mountcastle birdied No 3 to join him at 18-under.
That left Australian LIV golfer Herbert, playing in the group immediately ahead of Hillier, as his primary threat.
Herbert got to within a stroke of the Kiwi after Hillier three-putted for bogey on No 10, his first dropped shot since he made his other three bogeys on Friday.
But Hillier’s response was swift, knocking in consecutive birdies to get to 21-under the card, the first after sticking a glorious approach to within a few feet, and the second after nailing a 14-foot putt.
It powered him to a three-stroke lead with six holes to play. But there was more drama, and nail-biting for Kiwi fans, to come.
Herbert made birdie on 14 to hack into the lead. Then, having barely missed an eagle putt on the penultimate hole, made birdie to cut the deficit to a single shot.
Hillier, meanwhile flirted with a fairway bunker on the right-hand side of No 17, before finding the green and producing a fabulous long-range putt to set up birdie.
A couple of days after fluffing his tee shot into the drink on the same hole, he landed his ball safely on the green before finishing the job with a par.
“Come on,” Hillier barked, before he shared a kiss with his wife and was mobbed by fellow golfers, including Kazuma Kobori, and sprayed with champagne.
“I think this is going to be the best eight days of my life forever,” Hillier said.
“The wedding is the best day of my life, absolutely, and this is the best day of my life on the golf course.”
Mountcastle finished tied for third five shots back, while Hendry was the other Kiwi to nab a top-10 finish at 12-under the card.
AT A GLANCE
– 22: Daniel Hillier (NZ)
– 20: Lucas Herbert (AUS)
– 17: Kerry Mountcastle (NZ), Tomoyo Ikemura (JPN)
