Bogeys, birdies and eagles – to Russian ears, some of theses names sound like feathered creatures in the sky. You don't often hear of a Russian city hosting a golf tournament. But Moscow's government, headed by Mayor Yury Luzhkov, is determined

Professional and amateur golfers from Russia and 15 other countries have been playing in the Moscow’s Cup on the first day of summer.

Admittedly, Russia is far behind other countries in producing champions like the U.S., the UK and others. As with everything else, though, success begins at amateur level.

There are plenty of promising golfers who might be able to make that extra step towards becoming pros.

“A lot of positive things have taken place in the last four years, like the opening of the junior golfer’s academy. Plus there a few courses being built in the Moscow region. I think that Russian names, perhaps even mine, will appear in large scale tournaments in less than ten years,” said Andrei Pavlov, winner of the Russian Amateur Open.

Well, before that happens, Moscow is more than willing and able to host both professional and amateur events.

The Mayor’s Cup is just one of the first stages of raising the profile of professional golf in Russia.

Of course for the moment, the sport in Russia remains largely a hobby for the rich and famous. But that’s how it used to be with tennis – and look the WTA rankings now.