Harry Hillier maintains five-shot lead at Inter Rapidísimo Golf Championship

BOGOTÁ, Colombia – Harry Hillier remains atop the leaderboard at the Inter Rapidísimo Golf Championship after carding a third-round 4-under 68. James Swash moved into solo second with a 4-under 68 to total 16-under par for the tournament. Blake Tomlinson trails Swash by one stroke in third place after tying the lowest round of the day at 8-under.

Hillier maintained his rhythm from Friday’s record-breaking round as he opened his front-nine on Saturday with four birdies in the first six holes. Although he carded an even-par back-nine, the 4-under round was enough to maintain his five-stroke lead heading into Sunday’s final round.

The five-stroke lead originated from a 13-under 59 posted by Hillier in the second round. He paired six consecutive birdies on the back-nine with seven additional birdies on the front-nine to card the first sub-60 round in PGA TOUR Americas history. Hillier will be in the final grouping for the first time this season in search of claiming his first PGA TOUR-sanctioned victory.

The New Zealand native originally posted his lowest score of the season two weeks ago at the KIA Open with a first-round 7-under 65. He paired that score to tie the best finish of his PGA TOUR-sanctioned career (T3/13-under). His only other top-three finish came at the 2023 PGA TOUR Latinoamérica Diners Club Peru Open. That specific finish helped surge Hillier into the top 60 of the Totalplay Cup standings and secure membership into the inaugural season of PGA TOUR Americas.

Prior to turning professional in 2022, the 24-year-old played collegiately at the University of Kansas for five seasons. He joined his brother, Charlie Hillier, for two seasons as a Jayhawk before Charlie turned professional following his senior season in 2019. Hillier’s top collegiate performances included eight top-5 finishes and two individual victories (The Jackrabbit in 2018, Hawkeye Invitational in 2022). He finished his senior year with a 70.83 scoring average and led his team with a –0.67 average vs. par.

Now a Kansas local, Hillier and his brother Charlie teach golf at a performance academy called The Golf Stable located in Kansas City during their time off from tournaments. Founded by Kevin Ward, the Hillier brothers are part of a community that teaches the game of golf to all ages, and is directed towards those who are looking to improve their game.

Hillier has now held the lead for 36 holes after trailing by four strokes in the first round, and tomorrow will be the first time in his career that he has entered the final round with the lead. In Saturday’s post-round interview, Hillier quotes, “I’ve never gone into a final round with the lead. So, to experience it last night, it’ll probably be the same tonight… I have just been trying to live in the present honestly. It’s stressful enough – 59 is definitely a confidence boost – you know you can go out and shoot low, but yeah, it’s still kind of surreal but we have another day tomorrow and then we can celebrate, hopefully.”

After the third round of the Inter Rapidísimo Golf Championship, Hillier is projected to move into the No. 2 position in the Fortinet Cup. The top-two players at the end of the Latin America Swing will earn conditional membership on the Korn Ferry Tour for the 2025 season. Final-round tee times begin at 7:57 a.m. ET and will run until 11:50 p.m. ET off the No. 1 tee on Sunday.

About Harry Hillier (First/21-under)

Age: 24
Birthplace: Te Puke, New Zealand
Residence: Overland Park, Kansas
College: University of Kansas
Fortinet Cup (start of week): 20th

• Started golf at the age of 10 before he gave it up for a year; he returned to the game at 12 years old, and ended up choosing golf over soccer due to his love for the individualistic nature of the game
• In his time off, teaches golf with his brother Charlie at a community called The Golf Stable; a golf performance academy that teaches all ages for those who seek to improve their game
• Favorite artist is mike.
• Grew up an Arsenal fan, and upon moving to the States became a Kansas City Chiefs fan
• Met his caddie Eduardo Jiménez in Argentina at a PGA TOUR Latinoamérica event in 2023. Jiménez goes by the nickname “Rulo” and travels around South America with Hillier as his caddie
• Brother, Charlie, is also a professional golfer; splits his time on the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR Americas
• Majored in general studies at the University of Kansas where he played collegiate golf for five seasons (2018-2022)
• Growing up, he and his brother excelled in soccer. Their grandfathers—on both sides—played in the English Premier League, one for Chelsea and one for Fulham

Competition notes

Course Setup: Par 72 / 7,464 yards; Cumulative average: 71.270
Weather: Cloudy with a high of 70. Wind from the east at 3-7 mph with gusts up to 17 mph

• New Zealand’s Harry Hillier recorded the first sub-60 score in PGA TOUR Americas history with a 13-under 59 in the second round
• Blake Tomlinson (3rd/15-under) and Skyler Finnell (T5/12-under) carded the lowest rounds of the day with an 8-under 64
• Six countries are represented in the top five and ties: United States (4), New Zealand (1), England (1), Chile (1), Argentina (1) and Canada (1)
• 60 players made the 3-under par cutline; this ties the 69th ECP Brazil Open with the lowest cutline and marks the largest margin between the leader and cutline at 14 strokes (Leader/17-under, Cutline/3-under)
• Matthew Anderson (Canada), the No. 1 player in the Fortinet Cup, carded a third-round even-par and is tied for fifth at 12-under
• With their rounds today, nine players are projected to move inside the top 60: Second/James Swash (projected Fortinet Cup: T13th), Thirrd/Blake Tomlinson (projected Fortinet Cup: 20th), T5/Agustin Errázuriz (projected Fortinet Cup: 38th), Fourth/Brendon Doyle (projected Fortinet Cup: 39th), T14/Eddy Lai (projected Fortinet Cup: 46th), T5/Skyler Finnell (projected Fortinet Cup: 49th), T17/Franco Romero (projected Fortinet Cup: 52nd), T23/Martin Contini (projected Fortinet Cup: 55th), T17/Alex Weiss (projected Fortinet Cup: 59th)
• Agustin Errázuriz (T5/12-under) is the lead Monday Qualifier who made the cut
• Hole 16 – the 183-yard par 3 – was the most challenging hole at Club El Rincón de Cajicá; averaging a +.280