Hillier (T5) and Kyriacou (T9) tackled the heat of Saudi Arabia in strong showings at the Ladies European Tour’s Ladies Saudi International.

West Australian Hillier did not drop a shot on the back nine all week as she charged home each day to secure her place towards the top of the leaderboard.

Following that pattern proved effective in her final round of 67 where she took her chances with the flat stick and clinched her first top five finish on the Ladies European Tour since 2019 with a birdie at the last.

Kyriacou ran hot across the weekend to storm into the top-10 and boost her chances of finishing in the top three of The Race to Costa del Sol – the Ladies European Tour’s Order of Merit standings.

The Sydneysider matched winner Lydia Ko’s round of the day on Sunday with a bogey-free seven-under 65 that was highlighted by an eagle at the par-5 9th.

Australia’s highest ranked golfer Minjee Lee also joined Hillier and Kyriacou in the Saudi desert this week and put together a steady week to finish in a share of 17th.

In Portugal, younger brother Min Woo (8th) jumped into the top-10 at the Portugal Masters with a five-under par final round of 67.

It was the West Australian’s best round of the week and puts him into sixth place in the lucrative Race to Dubai standings with one event remaining before the season finale in Dubai.

On the PGA Tour, Matt Jones and last week’s Butterfield Bermuda Championship winner, Lucas Herbert, both missed the cut at the Worldwide Technology Championship in Mexico.

Herbert was placed in the marquee grouping for the first two rounds alongside eventual winner Viktor Hovland, and Patrick Reed, but a four-over par opening round of 75 hindered his chances of progressing to the weekend.

Elsewhere, Harrison Endycott (T86) was the best of the Australians at the Korn Ferry Tour Qualifying School Finals and Blake Windred ended his year in Europe with a T33 finish at the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final in Spain.

RESULTS

European Tour
Portugal Masters
8th Min Woo Lee
MC Scott Hend

PGA Tour
World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba
MC Matt Jones, Lucas Herbert

Ladies European Tour
Saudi Ladies International
T5 Whitney Hillier
T9 Stephanie Kyriacou
T17 Minjee Lee
63 Amy Walsh

Korn Ferry Tour
Qualifying School Finals
T86 Harrison Endycott
T122 Jason Scrivener
T143 Justin Warren

Challenge Tour
Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A
T33 Blake Windred

Legends Tour
Sergio Melpignano Senior Italian Open
T28 Peter Fowler
T53 David McKenzie
T64 Robert Allenby

Japan Golf Tour
Mynavi ABC Championship
60 Todd Sinnott
MC David Brandson, Dylan Perry, Anthony Quayle

PGA Tour Champions
Timbertech Championship
22 Rod Pampling
T36 Stephen Leaney