WILTSHIRE'S Jordan Smith finished in a tie for 39th at the 2023 British Masters last week.

Smith only made the cut by a shot on the Brabazon Course at The Belfry, but a highly-encouraging round of 68 on Saturday presented the Chippenham golfer with an outside chance heading into the final round.

It was an opportunity he was unable to take, however, as New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier claimed a shock debut win on the DP World Tour.

Swindon's David Howell finished 113th on four-over after two rounds of 74.

Smith - who had never finished worse than 35th after making the cut in five previous attempts - went out in a one-over-par 73 on Thursday as Justin Rose surged to the lead at seven under.

As the weather turned more grey and drizzly on Friday, Smith was flirting was the cut line until a nervy finish over the course of the final three holes booked his hotel room for two more nights.

The Bowood Golf Club member birdied 16 before bogeying 17 to leave him two over and out of contention for a tee time on Saturday morning.

But in the nick of time, a birdie on 18 rescued Smith's week and allowed him to pick up a cheque for 18,354 euros as well as 26.4 Race to Dubai points.

Meanwhile, winner Hillier admitted he was “gobsmacked” after producing a stunning burst of scoring to claim his first DP World Tour title ahead of esteemed rivals such as Justin Rose and Adrian Meronk.

The Kiwi holed from 40 feet for eagle on the 15th, made birdie from a fairway bunker on the next, and then holed from six feet for another eagle on the 17th in a brilliant final round of 66 at The Belfry.

That gave the 24-year-old a winning total of 10 under par, securing the first prize of £468,000 and also a place in the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool later this month.

Hillier, who began the day three shots off a six-way tie for the lead, said: “I’m gobsmacked. I think it’s going to take me a while to process to be honest.

“Early on in the day I was not feeling it at all. I was a little bit uncomfortable with the driver, didn’t have many chances but obviously knew there were some chances coming in.

“I didn’t think I would take them that well, but obviously pretty ecstatic.

“I’m not going to lie, I was definitely looking at the leaderboard and seeing my name up there and thinking about what it would be like to finish it off but it’s all a bit of a blur really.”