DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Daniel Hillier birdied his final two holes to shoot 2-under 70 on Saturday and take a one-shot lead heading into the Dubai Desert Classic. In the final round, the 223rd-ranked New Zealander will compete for second place.
Tyrrell Hatton, who shot a third-round 68, is the closest challenger to the 26-year-old Hillier, whose only victory on the European Tour came at the British Masters in July 2023 of.
Hillier finished the week at 13 under.
“This is going to be life-changing,” Hillier said.
“Last year was pretty rough. It was kind of hard. I was feeling pretty down on myself toward the end of the year. Giving myself a little bit of rest and time to reset, I feel like a whole new person. Yeah, excited for tomorrow.”
Rory McIlroy, seeking a third consecutive title at the prestigious tournament, was seven shots behind in 12th place after a 69. A birdie and a score of 1 par.
“I need to go out and shoot 63 tomorrow,” said third-ranked McIlroy. “I’ve been able to do it before if the conditions are right, especially if you can score on the front nine before the scoreable back nine.
“The key for me tomorrow is if I can get off to a quicker start and shoot three or four (under) downfield, then I’ll have a chance.”
Scotsman Evan Ferguson led after the second round, but ended up with a 74, 10 under, falling to third place three strokes behind Hillier.
Hatton, who plays on the LIV Golf Tour, looks to be Hillier’s biggest threat. The seven-time European Tour winner holed an 8-footer for eagle on the second hole, then recovered from three bogeys in six holes to finish with four birdies and five pars. Scores ended the front nine.
“I remember as a kid getting up very early on Thursday and Friday mornings and being excited to watch the Desert Classic,” said Hatton, ranked 17th. “It’s an iconic event on the DP World Tour and I think it’s definitely one of the events that you might ask any player here and one that they’d like to have on their resume.”
