Tournament Highlights, Our “Champions Experience” Winner and Future Tournament Dates
ENCOMPASS CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY CAREERBUILDER
Tom Lehman and His Caddie 2014 Encompass Championship
The 2014 Encompass Championship, once again, brought a unique Pro-Am format to North Shore Country Club and the greater Chicago area. The well-attended event featured a special Pro-Am format during the first two rounds of competition on Friday and Saturday pairing all 81 Champions Tour professionals with celebrities and amateurs. Sunday’s final round was a tight race with Champions Tour professionals competing for the individual title and the $1.8 million dollar purse. Tom Lehman held onto the lead and was this year’s Encompass Championship winner at fifteen under (-15), walking away with $270,000 of the purse money, followed by Michael Allen ($144,000) and Kirk Triplett ($144,000) who were both tied for 2nd place at fourteen under (-14).
Colin Montgomerie 2014 Encompass Championship by Pete Doherty
All event attendees were able to walk alongside some of the most recognized names in golf, including World Golf Hall of Fame members Hale Irwin, Tom Kite, Bernhard Langer, Colin Montgomerie (Winner of the 2014 Senior PGA Championship at Harbor Shores, MI), and Nick Price to name a few. Major champions and fan favorites such as Jeff Sluman, Chip Beck (both local favorites), Fred Funk, Tom Lehman, Kenny Perry, Rocco Mediate, Steve Elkington, and last year’s Champion, Craig Stadler, brought golfers of all ages out to cheer them on.
Brian Urlacher at 2014 Encompass Championship by Pete Doherty
Celebrity players such as Brian Urlacher and Gary Fencik, both popular Bears players of their times, brought out sports fans of all ages to follow and cheer them and other celebrities on during the two days of Pro Am events.
Encompass Championship Charities has designated four outstanding youth-oriented organizations as beneficiaries of this year’s tournament that are focused on improving the lives of young people and, by extension, the future of our community and our country. They are the JUNIOR DIABETES RESEARCH FOUNDTION-Illinois Chapter, Junior Achievement of Chicago, The First Tee of Greater Chicago and the Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund.
Read more about the final round here.
CHAMPIONS EXPERIENCE WINNER!
We would also like to congratulation Vickie Miller who was the winner of our fabulous “Champions Experience” promotion. She was selected randomly from the many entries received starting in February through June 6. Congratulations, Vickie! A special thank you to all who entered this fabulous promotion and to the Encompass Championship for providing this wonderful event package and opportunity!
FOUR WINDS INVITATIONAL/2014 LPGA SYMETRA TOUR EVENT AT BLACKTHORN GOLF CLUB, SOUTH BEND, IN
Jackie Stoelting at the finish of the Final Round at Four Winds Invitational
Taking place during the same week as the Encompass Championship was the 2014 Four Winds Invitational, held for the 3rd year at Blackthorn Golf Club in South Bend, IN. The Golf Channel’s ‘2014 Big Break Florida Winner’, Jackie Stoelting, returned to South Bend, IN to again compete with hopes of winning this event as well. Jackie’s road to the LPGA has been an exciting time for her this year. With a great final round at Blackthorn of 65 and racking up the most birdies that day of any player, Jackie finished in a respectable 3rd place. With a very close race, finishing in first place was Nicole Vandermade with a final round of 68, followed by Lee Lopez who came in second with a final round of 70. Jackie Stoelting, a fan favorite, is one of the future stars of golf that will be someone to watch for years to come!
FUTURE TOURNAMENTS YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS!
2015 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP takes place at Whistling Straits in Kohler, WI in August.
2015 BMW CHAMPIONSHIP returns to the Northshore and Conway Farms in Glenview, IL in September.
2015 ENCOMPASS CHAMPIONSHIP will again be staged at Northshore Country Club in Glenview, IL July 6-12.
2016 INTERNATIONAL CROWN, will take place at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, IL (the site of the 2009 Solheim Cup). Tickets will go on sale in the summer of 2015 for this world class event. The inaugural event takes place this year in Baltimore July 21-27 featuring the world’s top 32 LPGA players representing USA, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Spain, Sweden, Chinese Taipei and Australia according the Rolex World Rankings.
For more information on events and schedules, visit www.pga.com, www.pgatour.com, www.lpga.com, www.encompasschampionship.com or www.LPGAInternationalCrown.com.
