Kafelnikov took up golf seriously after he called time on his tennis career two years ago. Although his progress in on the fairways may not be as impressive as on the baseline, he has nevertheless chalked up some notable achievements. He was elected first vice president of the Russian Golf Federation last year and took third place this June in the team competition at the Russian President's Cup.
The former tennis ace said before the tournament at Le Meridien Moscow Country Club that he had a "serious approach" to golf and would not be at the event to make up the numbers. "I know I have to spend many hours on this to figure out the different nuances of golf, but I am ready to try," he said.
This year's tournament has a record $500,000 up for grabs in prize money, with $88,330 for the winner, $55,000 for the runner-up and $30,000 for third place. In all, 156 players from 24 countries will tee off.
To add a bit of spice to the event, the organizers have also invited Sydney Olympic rhythmic gymnastics champion Vera Shimanskaya, lead singer of Roxy Music and world-renowned musician Brian Ferry, and Hollywood stars David Carradine and Dolph Lundgren.
Ten years ago General Motors, the U.S.-based maker of Cadillac cars, became the title partner of the General Motors Russian Open, which then had $25,000 in prize money. This year's prize fund has made the tournament one of the five most important competitions in Russia.
