Russian Golfers and World Golf
- The first professional golfers in Russia were Denis Zherebko and Alexander Strunkin. After winning the championship of Russia in 1997, Konstantin Lifanov also turned pro.
- Among women, the pioneer of golf was Svetlana Gounkina. After showing excellent results in Russia, in 1998 she received academic and athletic scholarships to study at Lynn University in the United States. Prior to 2001, she was number one on her university's team. She became the first in the history of Russia to become a bronze team winner of golf championships among universities USA. She was also the first Russian woman to participate in the Futures Tour (developmental tour for the LPGA), and the first Russian golfer to participate in a qualifying tournament for the U.S. Open (she scored 76, falling 2 strokes short of qualifying).
- Following Gounkina's success, both of Kostina's sisters went to America to study. They later played on the Futures Tour.
- Uliana Rotmistrova was the first Russian golfer who changed her amateur status to professional. She qualified for the women's EuroTour.
Read more about this topic: Golf In Russia
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