SUTTON COLDFIELD, England — An eagle’s 40-foot putt ignited a stunning feat from New Zealander Daniel Hellyer as he won the British Masters on Sunday and secured his place at the British Open.
Hillier’s first European tour was delivered in spectacular fashion when he took a 6-under 66 in the final round at The Belfry. His total wins are 10-under-par, finishing two shots ahead of England’s Oliver Wilson and American Gunner Webb.
“I’m stunned. I guess it’s going to take a while to be honest,” said Hillier after starting a 6-game tying 6-yard lead for the lead. “Earlier in the day I wasn’t feeling it at all. I was a little uncomfortable with the driver, I didn’t have a lot of chances but obviously I knew there were some opportunities coming up.
“I didn’t think I’d take them well, but I’m obviously very high.”
In addition to his eagle on the fifth 15th, Hillier made a birdie from a fairway bunker in the 16th and had another eagle with a 6-foot putt on the par-5 17th.
“I’m not going to lie, I was definitely looking at the leaderboard and seeing my name on there and thinking what it would be like to finish, but it’s all a blur, really,” Hillier said. “It will be a very nice experience to play again in the Open Championship, so I can’t wait.”
The British Open begins July 20 at Royal Liverpool. Wilson and Webb also qualified for the tournament.
Wiebe, ranked 1,349, had set the early target for the club after carding an eagle, seven birdie and triple-bogey in a shutout 66.
Wilson (71) edged out the 18th to take last place in the Open Championship.