Hillier (T5) and Kyriacou (T9) tackled the heat of Saudi Arabia in their strong showings at the Ladies European Tour’s Aramco Saudi Ladies 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 ten 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 with a bogey free seven-under round of 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 she put together a steady week to finish in a share of 17th.

In Portugal, her little brother Min Woo Lee (8th) jumped into the top ten at the European Tour’s Portugal Masters with a five-under par final round of 67.

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

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

Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course, Vilamoura, Portugal

Winner            Thomas Pieters (BEL)            68-64-65-68-265         €237,810

8                      Min Woo Lee                           68-68-71-66-273         €30,879.85

MC                  Scott Hend                              75-77-152

PGA Tour

World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba

El Camaleon Golf Club, Riviera Maya, Mexico

Winner            Viktor Hovland (NOR)             67-65-62-67-261

MC                  Matt Jones                              70-70-140

MC                  Lucas Herbert                         75-68-143

Ladies European Tour

Aramco Saudi Ladies International

Royal Greens Golf and Country Club, Saudi Arabia

Winner            Lydia Ko (NZL)                        67-70-63-65-265         €129,680.70

T5                    Whitney Hillier                         70-69-70-67-276         €28,962.03

T9                    Stephanie Kyriacou                73-72-68-65-278         €19,452.11

T17                  Minjee Lee                              73-68-71-70-282         €14,048.75

63                    Amy Walsh                             72-75-81-76-304         €2,334.25

Korn Ferry Tour

Qualifying School Finals

The Landings Club (Marshwood Cse), Savannah, Georgia

Winner            Zack Fischer (USA)                67-67-65-199

T86                  Harrison Endycott                   67-75-73-215

T122                Jason Scrivener                      71-76-73-220

T143                Justin Warren                         77-79-70

Challenge Tour

Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final supported by The R&A

T-Golf & Country Club, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain

Winner            Marcus Helligkilde (DAN)       69-67-68-72-276         €78,000

T33                  Blake Windred                        71-71-76-70-288         €3,200

Legends Tour

Sergio Melpignano Senior Italian Open

San Domenico Golf, Italy

Winner            Stephen Dodd (GBR)             66-71-62-68-267         €333,836.01

T28                  Peter Fowler                           67-70-73-71-281         €17,975.13

T53                  David McKenzie                      68-77-69-73-287         €7,7521.51

T64                  Robert Allenby                        67-75-76-71-289         €4,546.90

Japan Golf Tour

Mynavi ABC Championship

ABC Golf Club, Hyogo

Winner            Yosuke Asaji (JPN)                 69-67-68-68-272         ¥30,000,000

60                    Todd Sinnott                           73-69-71-76-289         ¥346,500

MC                  David Brandson                      75-70-145

MC                  Dylan Perry                             71-74-145

MC                  Anthony Quayle                      72-75-147

Champions Tour

Timbertech Championship

The Old Course at Broken Sound, Boca Raton, Florida

Winner            Steven Alker (NZL)                 68-63-68-199

22                    Rod Pampling                         71-70-71-212

T36                  Stephen Leaney                     76-68-74-218