Daniel Hillier is a nomination for the emerging talent award at New Zealand’s major sports celebration, the Halberg Awards.
The winner will be revealed at a function in Auckland on Thursday, February 8.
Hillier is one of 13 nominations for the award which has been won in the past by Lydia Ko and who has also been a three-time winner of the sportswoman of the year award and winner of the supreme sportsperson of the year award in 2013.
Hillier’s feats for last year include winning the New Zealand Amateur for a second time and becoming the first to win the tournament twice as a teenager.
“It’s a pretty amazing feeling,’’ Hillier said of the award nomination.
“I didn’t really see this coming so I’m pretty ecstatic. It’s been an awesome few years, playing round the world and seeing so many different places. This is the icing on the cake after a huge amount of hard work.”

Daniel Hillier’s standout performances:

Hillier made history this year becoming the first player ever to win two New Zealand Amateur Championship titles whilst still a teenager. This is one of New Zealand’s oldest sporting trophies dating back to 1893. The format is also the most challenging. Not only do you have to qualify through 36 holes of strokeplay, you then enter five rounds of knock-out golf to find the winner.
Ninth at Junior World Cup 2017
Hillier was also leading Kiwi at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Wellington where he finished in 6th. This brings together the best golfers in the Asia-Pacific with the prize being entry into the two biggest events in the world, The Masters in the United States and The Open in Britain.
He followed this up by beating all of our Kiwi professionals at the New South Wales Open in Australia and finish as the lead Kiwi in a tie for 14th. This was a field of the best professionals in Australasia.
Hillier now has won two New Zealand Amateur Championships as mentioned to go with his two New Zealand Age Group Championships (U19 Stroke Play) 2015/16 and the Harewood Open (professional event) to become the youngest in history to win on the Jennian Homes Charles Tour. Hillier was also the leading amateur at the 2015 New Zealand Open in Queenstown and the Australia Juniors Champion in the same year which earned him a ticket to the Emirates Australian Open.
Wellington Strokeplay champion by a remarkable 12-shots in 2017.
Team captain for Wellington’s winning Interprovincial side 2016 and also player of the tournament.