This week sees The European Tour return to the Jack Nicklaus designed Tseleevo Golf & Polo Club where a field chocked full of experience and youth alike will compete for the M2M Russian Open.
Plenty of European Tour winners will tee it up from Thursday as they look to add to their trophy haul, with the likes of Morten Ørum Madsen and Scott Jamieson the most recent of those to have tasted victory.
Madsen triumphed in the first event of the season at the South African Open Championship hosted by the City of Ekurhuleni, and that maiden triumph has the Dane at 49th on the current Race to Dubai standings.
He has struggled a little for his best form of late, but this could be the week where he goes a long way to solidifying his position in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, with a place in the top 60 on the season-long list ensuring a starting place at Jumeirah Golf Estates from November 20-23.
Much like Madsen, Scotland’s Jamieson also picked up a maiden win in South Africa back at the 2013 Nelson Mandela Championship presented by ISPS Handa.
He heads to Russia after a missed cut at last week’s Open Championship, but had teed it up at Hoylake in fine form following a strong finish at his home event. An eight under par score of 64 on Sunday at Royal Aberdeen saw the Glasgow native finish in a tie for eighth at the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, and he will head to the Russian capital in high spirits as a result.
Jamie McLeary is another Scot who travels east this week looking for a strong performance. He is currently in the midst of a maiden European Tour campaign that has perhaps not gone to plan so far after just five cuts made in 2014.
However the man from Edinburgh travels to Moscow fresh off a decent showing at last week’s Open, where he finished in a tie for 58th, after successfully pre-qualifying.
He will be joined by a number of his fellow Challenge Tour graduates from last season, who will all look to solidify their positions amongst Europe’s elite for another year, with the likes of Andrea Pavan, Johan Carlsson and Daan Huizing all looking to find their best form.
Thomas Pieters impressed earlier in the season at the Open de España, where he eventually lost out in a three-way play-off to Miguel Angel Jiménez. His tie for second alongside Richard Green at PGA Catalunya Resort was proof of the young Belgian’s talent, and he will hope to claim a maiden trophy this week in Eastern Europe.
Ten Russians will tee it up in their capital city looking to carry home hopes on their shoulders, with former World Tennis Number One Yevgeny Kafelnikov one of those, as he continues to pursue this latest chapter in his illustrious sporting career.
Unfortunately, however, Michael Hoey is unable to defend his title after picking up a foot injury during the second round of last week’s Open Championship which forced him to withdraw from the third Major of the season and this week’s M2M Russian Open.
