PGA Tour: Matthew Wolff’s Strategy and Decision Making Secures Him Aon Risk Reward Challenge Title | Golf news

Matthew Wolff joins a roster of former Aon Risk Reward Challenge champions on the PGA Tour, which includes Brooks Koepka (2019) and Nick Taylor (2020); the 22-year-old received $ 1million for finishing top of the season standings

Matthew Wolff became the last winner of the Aon Risk Reward Challenge and took home the $ 1 million prize at the Wyndham Championship.

The 22-year-old suffered an early exit at Sedgefield Country Club after rounds of 69 and 70, as Kevin Kisner pulled off a six-man play-off to secure a spectacular victory, though Wolff still has reason to celebrate in of the final event. of the regular season of the PGA Tour.

Wolff topped the Aon Risk Reward Challenge rankings, a one-season competition that highlights the best decisions on the most strategic holes of the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour. The challenge takes the two best scores of each participating player on a designated hole each week.

Last week’s tournament was the last count for the Aon Trophy and focused on the 15th par-five at Sedgefield Country Club, where Wolff started with -1.105 and ahead of closest challengers Cameron Smith and Louis Oosthuizen.

Wolff needed his two best scores on the hole to tie one or better to secure first place, with the American making the par on opening day and birdieing second to secure the top prize.

“Yeah, that means a lot,” Wolff said. “I think, you know, there’s obviously a lot of money to be made on the Tour, but I’m new here and every little bit counts.

“Aon is having a big contest, a yearlong contest. I’m just happy I passed. I had known that for a few months, so on the Aon holes I was a little more nervous than usual, but I played pretty well and just came out on top. “

Smith, not on the pitch, could have snatched the top spot if Wolff had posted +2 or worse on the designated hole, while Oosthuizen – who withdrew due to a neck injury – would have needed two eagles during the week for a chance to move alongside Wolff.

“If I want to win the Challenge, I want to win it because I play the best golf, not because someone gives it to me,” added Wolff. “I feel like I did that, and on those holes, I played them really well.”

Wolff, one of the bright young stars of the PGA Tour known for his unique swing, was able to take advantage of his length off the tee, where he went for the green 55% on the par five of the Aon Risk Reward Challenge and has a a staggering 45 percent success rate.

Additionally, he won more than a third of a shot on the court on par-four, evidenced by his performance on the short par-four at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open and the Travelers Championship, where his two best scores were birdie and eagle.

Brooks Koepka won the first Aon Risk Reward Challenge in the 2018/2019 season, while Canada’s Nick Taylor topped the standings the following campaign. The competition is also held on the LPGA Tour, with their winner crowned at the CME Group Tour Championship in November.

The 2021/22 Aon Risk Reward Challenge when the 2021/22 PGA Tour season kicks off in September at the Fortinet Championship and runs through the 2022 Wyndham Championship.