The Russian Open challenges the PGA

As you can read at PGATOUR.com, at the same time that the PGA is being played at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey, the Russian Open is being played in Nakhabino, Russia. Nakhabino is a suburb of Moscow and home to Le Meridian Moscow Country Club, Russia's best golf course. As written at Vedomosti.ru:

"Golf is yet another pastime attracting an ever-increasing number of fans. At the same time Russia suffers from an acute shortage of golf courses, experts say. According to estimates by the Russian Golf Association, one golf course can offer facilities to 25,000 players, meaning Russia needs at least 5,000 courses that meet world standards. So far Russia has embarked on a ‘modest' program envisaging the construction of 500 courses over the next 15 years. According to reports from the Russian Golf Association, five golf clubs operate in Russia today, two of which are located in Moscow. The best one, Le Meridian Moscow Country Club in Nakhabino, is included in the list of the world's best golf clubs. For comparison: across the globe people spend $2.5 billion on golf balls alone."

Interesting from a celebrity and golf viewpoint for this year's Russian Open is the participation of Yevgeny Kafelnikov, a former Russian internationally well-known tennis star, who managed an 88 and 96 to place last in the field. See Yahoo report for background. However, one can be sure that his participation brought fans to the course who otherwise would not have been there. It is an interesting marketing concept to make golf more popular in Russia and very courageous of Kafelnikov to take part. Well done. Besides, an 88 and 96 are not bad for a former tennis player.