Angel Yin Wins Aon Trophy and $1 Million Prize in Decisive Victory
Fifth Year of the Aon Risk Reward Challenge continues to award the LPGA Tour's best decisions makers
Season-long competition rewards players who make better decisions on the most strategically challenging holes across the LPGA Tour and PGA TOUR
NAPLES, Fla., Nov. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Aon plc (NYSE: AON), a leading global professional services firm, and the LPGA Tour today announced Angel Yin as the champion of the 2023 Aon Risk Reward Challenge. As the winner of the season-long competition, Yin will be awarded both the Aon Trophy and the $1 million prize for her ability to make better decisions on the most strategically challenging holes throughout the LPGA Tour season.
"I'm thrilled to be named the Aon Risk Reward Challenge Champion this year," says Yin. "Golf is shaped by decision-making under pressure, so it's great to be recognized for something that is so key to success in this game. Several talented players have won this title before me and it's an honor to join in this legacy and stand alongside them as a winner of the Aon Trophy."
This season was full of many firsts for Angel Yin. Just last month, after 159 starts, Yin secured her first win at the Buick LPGA Shanghai where she defeated current Rolex Rankings No. 1 Lilia Vu in a one-hole playoff. It was not the pair's first battle this season as the Chevron Championship, in Texas, played earlier this year also ended in a duel between the two young stars. Yin left Texas with second place in that major. And now, she adds the coveted Aon Trophy to her growing list of accolades. Yin joins three other players on the LPGA Tour who previously took home the Aon Trophy – Carlota Ciganda (2020), Hannah Green (2021) and Minjee Lee (2022). In 2020, due to the global pandemic, the prize money was not awarded to an individual, but was reallocated to support the re-start of the LPGA Tour season and the newly created LPGA Drive On Championship at Inverness Club.
"When we launched the Aon Risk Reward Challenge, our goal was to create a program that recognized players' remarkable decision-making abilities and create a first-of-its-kind opportunity for players on the LPGA Tour," said Lambros Lambrou, Chief Executive Officer, Human Capital, Aon. "We are thrilled to celebrate Angel as this year's Challenge champion and proud to recognize the program's five-year milestone with our partners at the LPGA Tour."
At its inception in 2019, the $1 million dollar Aon Risk Reward Challenge prize became the largest single monetary prize on the LPGA Tour, a groundbreaking initiative and the start of a new wave of significant investments in the women's game that would quickly follow. In 2023, the LPGA Tour has awarded a record-breaking $108 million in prize money across 36 official and unofficial events, spanning 12 countries and regions and 11 U.S. states, an increase of 54% compared to 2021.
"The LPGA is experiencing tremendous growth. This growth is a result of the amazing talent of our players and partners like Aon who understand the enormous value and impact their support of these athletes can have on both their business and on elevating girls and women, on and off the golf course," said LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan. "Over the past five years, this Challenge has brought not only substantial prize money to our players, but it has also helped shed a spotlight on our league. A special congratulations to Angel on becoming this year's Challenge champion, adding another incredible achievement to her already outstanding season."
The combination of Yin's elite ball-striking and incredible short game helped her stay atop the leaderboard throughout the season and ultimately helped her clinch the competition in the final weeks. Angel went for the green on 46% of this year's Challenge holes, compared to her overall 'go for green' percentage of 12% on all drivable par-4's and second shot par-5's overall. Her strategic approach allowed Angel to reach the green successfully 24% of the time and helped her secure a spot within the top 15 on the LPGA Tour in strokes gained around the green on all Challenge holes.
About the Aon Risk Reward Challenge
In its fifth season, the Aon Risk Reward Challenge is a unique season-long competition across the PGA TOUR and the LPGA Tour that highlights golf's best strategic decision makers. The Challenge tabulates the two best scores from every participating event a player competes in. Players must compete in a minimum of 40 rounds throughout the season to qualify.
The Challenge runs across regular season tournaments (39 on the PGA TOUR; 30 on the LPGA Tour), with CBS, NBC Sports and the Golf Channel as official broadcast partners. Each week in broadcast, Aon provides insights specific to the Aon Risk Reward Challenge hole. PGA TOUR winner Tyrrell Hatton claimed the equal $1 million prize at FedEx St. Jude Championship in August 2023.
To view the final Aon Risk Reward Challenge leaderboard on the LPGA Tour and for more information, click here.
About Aon
Aon plc (NYSE: AON) exists to shape decisions for the better — to protect and enrich the lives of people around the world. Our colleagues provide our clients in over 120 countries and sovereignties with advice and solutions that give them the clarity and confidence to make better decisions to protect and grow their business.
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About the LPGA
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is the world's premier women's professional golf organization. Created in 1950 by 13 pioneering female Founders, the LPGA, whose members now represent over 60 countries, is the longest-standing professional women's sports organization. Through the LPGA Tour, the Epson Tour, a joint venture with the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Professionals, the LPGA provides female professionals the opportunity to pursue their dreams in the game of golf at the highest level. In addition to its professional tours and teaching accreditation programs, the LPGA features a fully integrated Foundation, which offers best-in-class programming for female golfers through its junior golf programming and LPGA Amateurs chapters, tournaments and membership. LPGA aims to use its unique platform to inspire, transform and advance opportunities for girls and women, on and off the golf course.
Follow the LPGA online at www.LPGA.com and on its mobile apps. Join the social conversation on Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.
About the LPGA Tour
The LPGA Tour is the world's leading competitive destination for the best female professional golfers in the world. The Tour hosts more than 30 annual events across 12 countries and regions for over 200 Active Players, awarding total prize funds exceeding $100 million and reaching television audiences in more than 220 countries. Follow the LPGA Tour on its U.S. television home, Golf Channel.
Contacts:
LPGA: Matt Jesus, Communications Coordinator
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