Unique season-long competition rewards the best decision maker on the LPGA Tour
NAPLES, Fla., Nov. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Aon plc (NYSE: AON), a leading global professional services firm, and the LPGA Tour today announced Jeeno Thitikul as the winner of the 2024 Aon Risk Reward Challenge. As the champion of the season-long competition, Thitikul will receive both the Aon Trophy and a $1 million prize in recognition of her exceptional decision-making on the most strategically challenging holes throughout the LPGA Tour season.
A native of Thailand, Thitikul has quickly become a prominent figure on the LPGA Tour. After turning professional at the age of 19, she has celebrated three LPGA victories in her brief tenure: the 2022 JTBC Classic, the 2022 Walmart NW Arkansas Championship and the 2024 Dow Championship. Throughout her time in the LPGA, she has shown up consistently in the Aon Risk Reward Challenge leaderboard, finishing runner up in both 2022 and 2023. This year, she achieved her breakthrough win, demonstrating elite decision-making with an impressive +0.39 strokes gained on every Challenge hole played and a go-for-green success rate of 35 percent, a figure that places her second overall among the 147 Challenge participants this season.
"I'm very proud to win the Aon Risk Reward Challenge and join the players who came before me in taking home the Aon Trophy," says Jeeno Thitikul. "This competition celebrates the strategic decision-making that defines the game of golf, and it's great to be recognized for my performance this season."
Thitikul's professional career also includes being named 2022 Rookie of the Year and recipient of the 2023 Vare Trophy, awarded to the player with the lowest scoring average for the season. The LPGA Tour professional now adds Aon Risk Reward Challenge winner to her growing list of accomplishments. She joins past champions Carlota Ciganda, Hannah Green, Minjee Lee and Angel Yin.
"We are excited to celebrate the sixth year of the Aon Risk Reward Challenge and the legacy of our partnership with the LPGA Tour," said Lisa Stevens, Chief Administrative Officer at Aon. "The Challenge shines a spotlight on the women's game and on the value of next-generation talent and capabilities, which is a true point of pride for our firm. We extend our congratulations to Jeeno as our 2024 champion in recognition of her ability to make better decisions that deliver impact on and off the course."
Thitikul's world class play during the 2024 season included her third LPGA Tour victory and 11 top 10 finishes. Her second-place finish at the Maybank Championship marked her sixth consecutive top 10 to close out the regular season. Other notable performances throughout the year include her win at the Dow Championship alongside teammate Ruoning Yin, a tie for fourth at the FM Championship and a solo second place at the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G.
"The Aon Risk Reward Challenge has helped spotlight the incredible talent on the LPGA Tour and gives fans a look into the challenging decisions our athletes make every time they tee it up. In supporting this initiative with a life-changing financial prize as well as important marketing resources, Aon has played a significant role in the LPGA Tour's incredible growth," said LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan. "It is great to see young talent like Jeeno, who has already accomplished so much in her short career, continue to excel on the LPGA Tour and be rewarded for her incredible play. Congratulations, Jeeno!"
For more information on Aon's golf partnerships across the PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour and the Ryder Cup, see here.
About the Aon Risk Reward Challenge
In its sixth season, the Aon Risk Reward Challenge is a unique season-long competition on 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 30 regular season tournaments with the Golf Channel as its official broadcast partner. Each week in broadcast, Aon provides insights specific to the Aon Risk Reward Challenge hole.
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. Through actionable analytic insight, globally integrated Risk Capital and Human Capital expertise, and locally relevant solutions, our colleagues provide clients in over 120 countries with the clarity and confidence to make better risk and people decisions that protect and grow their businesses.
Follow Aon on LinkedIn, X, Facebook and Instagram. Stay up-to-date by visiting Aon's newsroom and sign up for news alerts here.
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 more than 60 countries, is the longest-standing professional women's sports organization. Through the LPGA Tour, the Epson Tour, the LPGA Professionals, and a joint venture with the Ladies European Tour, 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 provides best-in-class programming for female golfers through its junior golf programming, and its LPGA Amateurs division, which offers its members playing and learning opportunities around the world. 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 download its mobile apps on Apple or Google Play. Join the social conversation on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), 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 10 countries for over 200 Active Players, awarding total prize funds exceeding $125 million and reaching television audiences in more than 220 countries. Follow the LPGA Tour on its U.S. television home, Golf Channel.
Contacts:
LPGA:
Emily Carman, Communications Coordinator
emily.carman@lpga.com
Aon:
mediainquiries@aon.com
Toll-free (U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico): +1 833 751 8114
International: +1 312 381 3024
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