Daniel Hillier enters the final four tournaments of the DP World Tour season with one of the biggest opportunities of his career firmly within reach — a PGA Tour card for 2027.
The New Zealander sits 13th in the Race to Dubai and is currently inside the group projected to earn one of the ten PGA Tour cards available to the highest-ranked eligible DP World Tour players who are not otherwise exempt.
Hillier narrowly missed out on the same pathway last season, finishing just outside the qualifying places.
This time, the 28-year-old controls his own destiny heading into a valuable closing stretch featuring India, South Korea and the two season-ending Play-Off events in the Middle East.
Major Names Await In India
Hillier’s next opportunity comes at the US$4 million DP World India Championship at Delhi Golf Club from October 15-18.
He will be joined by fellow Kiwi and Open champion Ryan Fox in one of the strongest fields of the closing stages of the season.
Career Grand Slam winner Rory McIlroy, defending champion Tommy Fleetwood, Patrick Reed, Aaron Rai, Viktor Hovland, Justin Rose, Shane Lowry and Australian Min Woo Lee are among the headline names.
Delhi Golf Club places a premium on accuracy and strategy, with its narrow corridors providing a very different challenge from many modern tournament layouts.
A strong week could prove particularly valuable for Hillier as the competition for the ten PGA Tour cards tightens.
Hillier’s Career-Best Season
Hillier has already enjoyed a memorable 2026.
After beginning the campaign with consecutive top-10 finishes in Australia, he finished runner-up at the Dubai Invitational before delivering one of the biggest victories of his career at Millbrook Resort in March.
His New Zealand Open triumph made him the first Kiwi to win the national championship since Michael Hendry in 2017, coming just days after Hillier married partner Siobhan.
He later challenged again at the British Masters, adding another runner-up finish during a consistently strong season.
Most recently, Hillier produced one of the shots of the year at the Open de España, making his first DP World Tour hole-in-one and winning an all-electric BMW worth more than €140,000.
The bigger prize, however, remains PGA Tour membership.
Four Tournaments To Decide His Future
After India, the DP World Tour moves to South Korea for the Genesis Championship from October 22-25.
The leading 70 available players on the Race to Dubai will then progress to the Abu Dhabi Championship from November 5-8, before the top 50 advance to the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai from November 12-15.
With enhanced Race to Dubai points available at the two Play-Off tournaments, significant movement remains possible.
Hillier is comfortably positioned to reach both events, allowing him to concentrate on protecting — and potentially improving — his place among the ten eligible PGA Tour graduates.
It is a pathway New Zealand golf knows well.
Fox earned PGA Tour membership through the Race to Dubai before establishing himself in the United States and going on to become Champion Golfer of the Year.
Hillier now has the chance to follow him.
Four tournaments remain between the Kiwi and a potential PGA Tour card, bringing a career-defining season to an intriguing conclusion.
