DID YOU KNOW – M2M RUSSIAN OPEN
• When Alejandro Cañizares won the event in 2006, it meant only the third father/son combination to win in European Tour history. The three are: Antonio/Ignacio Garrido; Craig/Kevin Stadler and Jose/Alejandro Cañizares.
• Per-UlrikJohansson won the tournament in 2007 playing on a sponsor’s invitation. He re-joined The European Tour in 2007 in the Past Champions Category. He is the last player from this category to win on The European Tour.
• Gary Emerson, winner in 2004, had the honour of becoming the 300th different player to have won on The European Tour since 1972.
• Mikael Lundberg was the last player to win the event when it was part of The European Tour International Schedule, back in 2008.
• The Swede also won the event in 2005. So his first two European Tour victories came in the same event. He is the last player to achieve this feat on The European Tour. In all ten players have won the same event for their first two European Tour titles. Should he win again he would become only the second player in European Tour history to win the same event three times for their first three titles. The first player was Tom Watson (1975, 1977 and 1980 Open Championship).
• The M2M Russian Open returns to The European Tour for the first time since 2008. All previous 13 editions of the event were staged at the Moscow Country Club. This year the tournaments moves to the Tseleevo Golf & Polo Club. The venue staged the M2M Russian Challenge Cup on the European Challenge Tour between 2010-2012. All three winners from these years are playing, Carlos Del Moral (2010), Sam Little (20112) and Alex Kaleka (2012). The courrent course record holder, Tommy Fleetwood is also competing. He shot 66 (-6) in the 2010 M2M Russian Challenge Cup.
