For winning the 2019 TOTO Japan Classic, Ai Suzuki is eligible for LPGA Membership for the 2020 season. Suzuki must inform LPGA officials of her decision by November 18, 2019. If she chooses to accept LPGA Membership for the 2020 season, 2020 will be her rookie year and she will be seeded in Category 7 on the LPGA Priority List.
“It was my dream so I feel like I want to challenge,” Suzuki said. “But I can’t speak English. And I need to talk to my family because I need their support. I am not good in Moving around, travelling, and food. 70% I want to but considering all that, It’s 20%. First thing is that I want to be Money winner and want to play ANA inspiration.”
If she chooses not to join the LPGA in 2020, she is eligible for a maximum of six sponsor invitations in 2020, plus she can compete in all five major championships and the HSBC Women’s World Championship. She would not gain entry into the 2020 Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions.
CIGANDA CLINCHES AON RISK REWARD CHALLENGE
The season-long Aon Risk Reward Challenge highlight's the world's best professional golfers as they tackle the most strategically challenging holes across both the LPGA Tour and PGA TOUR schedules. The player from each Tour on top of the Aon leaderboard at the end of the regular season will receive a $1 million prize.
The TOTO Japan Classic was the final qualifying event for the season-long competition. Entering the week Carlota Ciganda led the standings at -0.841, with Ariya Jutanugarn in second at -0.808 and In-Kyung Kim and Lee-Anne Pace in third at -0.731. Jutanugarn needed two eagles (score to par equal to -4) to pass Ciganda and win the Aon Risk Reward Challenge, while Kim needed an improbable combination of eagle/double eagle.
Jutanugarn played the 476-yard par-5 17th hole at the TOTO Japan Classic par-birdie-eagle while Kim made two pars and a birdie.
Ciganda joins the PGA TOUR’s Brooks Koepka as the inaugural Aon Risk Reward Challenge winners and takes home the equal $1 million prize. It’s a life-changing prize for Ciganda who’s 2019 Official Earnings equal $963,602 with one event left.
The scoring system is identical on both the LPGA Tour and PGA TOUR, and players take their best two scores from each Aon Risk Reward Challenge hole, with the winners having the best average score to par at the end of the season. Players must play a minimum of 40 rounds throughout the season. The Challenge runs across regular season tournaments (29 LPGA Tour; 36 PGA TOUR).
For more information about the Aon Risk Reward Challenge, visit www.lpga.com/statistics/aon-risk-reward-challenge
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