Bill Ackman, the activist investor who refuses to be beaten, is among the billionaire tennis enthusiasts who are duking it out on the court to get the chance to play with, and against, stars including John McEnroe in the Hamptons this weekend.
Contenders including moguls John Paulson, Steve Schwarzman, Howard Marks and Jeff Greene are competing in the Charles Evans PCF Pro-Am Tour at the Bridgehampton Surf and Tennis Club to raise funds for the Prostate Cancer Foundation.
Others pulling on their tennis whites include top art dealer Larry Gagosian, Tishman Speyer’s Gerry Cohen, investor Mark Ein, real-estate developer Arik Kislin and Joel Pashcow.
Pro players who will be teamed with the amateur contenders include McEnroe, Jason Lipsky, Guillermo Cañas, Luke Jensen, Alex Asta, Jason Pinsky and Chris Haggard.
But it’s not all hard sweat — the wealthy players will be entertained in the evenings at lavish dinners at David Koch’s Meadow Lane mansion and developer Dean Palin’s Southampton home.