Daniel Hillier to Play in Kitzbühel

Spectators in Kitzbühel can look forward to another top star. Daniel Hillier has confirmed his participation in the 2026 Austrian Alpine Open presented by Kitzbühel Tirol. The 27-year-old New Zealander, who has already celebrated several strong finishes and a tournament victory in his home country this season, is currently among the top players in the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai rankings.

Daniel Hillier looks back on a successful amateur career and turned pro in 2019. In January 2020, he qualified for the PGA Tour of Australasia, but after a few starts, he played primarily on the Charles Tour in New Zealand due to the COVID-19 pandemic, finishing as the Order of Merit winner after two victories.

In 2021, he played on the Challenge Tour, winning the Challenge Costa Brava, and claimed victory at the Swiss Challenge the following season. Finishing seventh in the overall standings of the HotelPlanner Tour (formerly the Challenge Tour), he earned promotion to the DP World Tour at the end of 2022. In 2023, Hillier celebrated his first victory there. At the Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo, Hillier fired an impressive final round of 66, including two eagles and a birdie on the last four holes, securing the biggest win of his career to date.

In 2025, he finished second at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic—in a top-class field—one stroke behind Tyrrell Hatton and ahead of Laurie Canter and Rory McIlroy.

So far this season, Hillier has been in excellent form. Following a top-two finish at the Dubai Invitational in January and three other strong results, he currently sits in 10th place in the Race to Dubai rankings. He has also already celebrated a significant victory this season. In March, he claimed the title at the New Zealand Open in his home country, a co-sanctioned tournament of the PGA Tour of Australasia and the Asian Tour.

Golf fans in Kitzbühel can look forward to seeing an interesting young player who has established himself as one of the tour’s top performers this season.