The Champions Tour will hold the Encompass Championship this week at the North Shore Country Club in the Chicago area.
It features a pro-am format in the first two rounds on Friday and Saturday.
Harry Colt is the man given credit for the design of the North Shore Country Club, but Alister MacKenzie and Charles Alison assisted. It opened in 1924 and hosted the 1933 U.S. Open, as well as, the 1939 and 1983 U.S. Amateur Championships.
It will play to slightly over 7,100 yards and is a par-72. The Champions Tour gives us a chance to visit a staid old country club that can’t meet the demands of a U.S. Open or PGA Championship, but allows the veterans to play on one of the magnificent older courses in the United States.
The old guys should be well rested following a week off from competition while the U.S. Open was held last week at Merion Golf Club.
David Frost has moved to the top of the Charles Schwab Cup rankings coming off his second win of the year at the Regions Tradition two weeks ago at Shoal Creek.
It was Frost’s first major championship of his career and his fifth Champions Tour win. He jumped over Bernhard Langer, who also has two wins this year, but has struggled slightly in the past four events.
In addition to his two wins, Langer also has two runners-up and a third-place finish this year. He has won over $1 million and his T-10 at the Tradition was his first top-ten finish in his last five starts.
Langer was runner-up in the Charles Schwab Cup last year and has been the favorite to capture the $1 million bonus this year.
Fred Couples finished runner-up to Frost at the Traditions and with a week off to rest his back should be a strong favorite in the Encompass Championship this week.
The North Shore Country Club should also fit John Cook’s game. Cook won the first Champions Tour event in Hawaii earlier this year. He also has two thirds and five top-10 finishes this year. He is currently in third place in the Charles Schwab Cup rankings and looking to move up.
Kohki Idoki, winner of the Senior PGA Championship, and Esteban Toledo, winner of the Insperity Championship round out the top-five in the Charles Schwab Cup standings.
The first round of the Encompass Championship can be viewed on the Golf Channel beginning Friday, June 21, 12:30-2:30 PM ET. Saturday and Sunday, June 22-23, Golf Channel will air coverage 3:00-5:00 PM ET.