Daniel Hillier is getting closer to the world's top 20 after a good week at The Amateur Players

KAI SCHWOERER / GETTY IMAGES

Daniel Hillier with golf champions Sir Bob Charles and Michael Campbell after winning the Bledisloe Cup for the best amateur of the New Zealand Open in March

Daniel Hillier, New Zealand's first amateur golfer , should rank among the top 20 at the prestigious US Amateur after another top-10 in a big tournament.

The 19-year-old Wellington player tied for seventh place in the Amateur Players of the Berkeley Hall Golf Club in South Carolina on Sunday (NZT), Hillier finished seventh tied with the European Amateur of the Netherlands last month, which saw its world ranking climb to 23rd place.

KAI SCHWOERER / GETTY IMAGES

Wellington golfer Daniel Hillier reached the world's highest professional rankings 23 seventh place in The Amateur Players in the United States.

After leaving the blocks at Berkeley Hall with rounds of 65 and 67, Hillier finished with 72 and 71 to finish nine-under for the tournament, seven strokes behind the winner John Augenstein

READ THE NEXT:
* Fox in the top 10 with a big pay day
* Ryan Fox: The golf course more beautiful than rugby
* Lee disqualified in the bungle balls [19659006] The Chinese Andy Zhang, finalist of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Royal Wellington in October, finished second, four shots behind Augenstein

Hillier's big target on this trip is the 118th US Amateur at Pebble Beach from 13th to 18th August, which will feature a stellar field of 43 of the world's top 50 amateur men's players.

He will seek to emulate Danny Lee of New Zealand who won in 2008.

– Tips and Tricks