Ernst & Young (EY) is one of the largest professional service firms in the world and one of the "Big Four" accounting firms, along with Deloitte, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Ernst & Young is a global organization of member firms with 167,000 employees in more than 140 countries, headquartered in London, England.[5] It was ranked by Forbes magazine as the eighth-largest private company in the United States in 2011.[6]
The Encompass Championship? brings a unique Pro-Am format to North Shore Country Club and the greater Chicago area. The tournament will feature 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 will see Champions Tour professionals competing for the individual title and the $1.8 million dollar purse. Proceeds from the tournament will benefit local charities. The tournament will attract some of the most recognized names in golf, including World Golf Hall of Fame members Ben Crenshaw, Hale Irwin, Tom Kite, Bernhard Langer, Nick Price. Ryder Cup co-captain Jeff Sluman and Chip Beck, who both live in the Chicago area, are also expected to compete along with Fred Couples, John Cook, Fred Funk, Jay Haas, Tom Lehman, Corey Pavin and Kenny Perry. And by tournament time major champions Vijay Singh and Steve Elkington, as well as fan favorite Rocco Mediate, will be eligible to compete on the Champions Tour. North Shore Country Club, designed by the legendary British firm Colt, MacKenzie and Allison, opened in 1924 and has hosted the 1933 U.S. Open Championship as well as the 1939 and 1983 U.S. Amateur Championship and the 2011 Western Amateur Championship. The classic design of North Shore Country Club will offer a stern test for the professional and amateur contestants alike and is very fan friendly affording many great opportunities to see all these great players in action.