It will be a welcome return to the Russian capital for Aussie veterans Peter Fowler and Mike Harwood who get to renew an acquaintance with a golf course where they have enjoyed success in the past.

After a four-year hiatus the VTB Russian Golf Open returns to the European Staysure Tour, a tournament where Harwood and Fowler have both enjoyed strong results in the past at Moscow Country Club, for many years the only 18-hole course in Russia.

Five years ago Harwood was one-shot off the lead after the opening round, a third and final round of 4-under 68 resulting in a tid for second, one of four times he has finished runner up in a European Seniors event. Fowler was tied for 20th.

When the tournament was last held in 2014 Harwood recorded a top-20 result and Fowler tied for 34th as Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie claimed a championship he would hold for the following four years.

Currently 11th on the order of merit, Fowler was tied for 38th in his PGA Seniors Championship title defence two weeks ago and boasts four top-10 finishes at the halfway mark of the season.

The third Aussie playing this week, Glenn Joyner, also teed it up when the Seniors were last in Russia, finishing tied for 55th with rounds of 80-74-68.

The Russian Golf Open first appeared on the Seniors Tour in 2008 where another Australian, David Merriman, finished the tournament tied for sixth.

The Champions Tour resumes in New York this week for the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open where David McKenizie is our sole Australian representative.

Defending champion Scott McCarron returns to En-Joie Golf Club to defend his title with McKenzie out to recapture the form he displayed at the Senior Open Championship where he was tied for 14th.

McKenzie is currently 50th in the Charles Schwab Cup standings with seven more events until the start of the Charles Schwab Cup playoffs.