Kiwi Golfer Daniel Hillier Wins BMW with Hole-in-One at Spanish Open

New Zealander Daniel Hillier secured a hole-in-one and an all-electric BMW iX5 SUV during the opening round of the Spanish Open in Madrid.

The Opening Round Ace at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid

Hillier carded a 4-under 67 during his first round at the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, leaving him tied for fourth place on the leaderboard. The 28-year-old New Zealander holed his 8-iron shot on the 187-yard par-3 17th hole. The tournament prize vehicle carries a valuation of 140,000 euros, while other reports noted the value at 140,338 euros (approximately NZ$280,000) or NZD $125,000.

The golfer admitted he was unhappy with the strike on his shot. To be honest, I toed it quite a bit. Wasn’t too happy with the strike. I was telling it to go the whole way, but it kind of hung in the air for a little bit longer than I thought. And then, yeah, heard some cheers, Hillier said.

It was pretty crazy. To be honest, I toed it quite a bit. Wasn’t too happy with the strike. I was telling it to go the whole way, but it kind of hung in the air for a little bit longer than I thought. And then, yeah, heard some cheers.

Daniel Hillier

Hillier Wins Car with Fifth Career Hole-In-One

Hillier could not see the bottom of the cup from the tee box. He realized the ball went in only when spectators in the grandstands began cheering. Obviously, you can’t see the bottom of the hole from the tee, so yeah, saw everyone jump up at the back of the grandstand there. A little bit of disbelief for a while, but it’s nice to see it go in, Hillier stated.

The ace marked the fifth hole-in-one of Hillier’s career. The vehicle was reserved specifically for the first player to record an ace on that hole during the tournament week. I didn’t realise a car was on offer. I’ve locked it up pretty early, but absolutely stoked and very grateful. It’s going to be a long drive though to New Zealand, I know that much, Hillier said.

Standings and Leaderboard Context

The opening round concluded with Grant Forrest, Connor Syme, and Eugenio Chacarra sharing the tournament lead at 5-under 66. Hillier finished one stroke behind the leaders alongside several other competitors. Sergio Garcia sat one shot back in his home open, while fellow New Zealander Kazuma Kobori finished his first round at six-over.

Hillier navigated tricky conditions featuring a shifting wind and soft greens that made spin control difficult. The strong start aids Hillier’s campaign on the DP World Tour, where he entered the weekend ranked 13th in the race for 10 available PGA Tour cards for 2027.

Remaining DP World Tour Schedule

Five tournaments remain on the DP World Tour schedule for the season. Following the event in Spain, the tour heads to India the following week and a South Korean tournament the week after that, before concluding with limited-field events in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.