Egor Eroshenko becomes first Russian to play on PGA TOUR, make cut at Butterfield Bermuda Championship

SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda (AP) — Egor Eroshenko already made history as the first Russian to play on the PGA TOUR. It got even better Friday when he became the first Russian to make the cut.

Eroshenko shot 31 on his final nine for a 4-under 67 in the Butterfield Bermuda Championship, extending his weekend in his first time playing a tournament recognized by the Official World Golf Ranking.

“I'm super excited,” said Eroshenko, who played four years at the University of Central Florida. “I'm still kind of in the fog not figuring out what's happening, but hopefully I can go grab some lunch and realize the cut is made and hoping for a good weekend.”

His 36-hole total of 3-under 139 comes a week after his girlfriend, Nataliya Guseva, was runner-up in the Lotte Championship in Hawaii on the LPGA Tour. Guseva has made history of her own as the first Russian to earn an LPGA card.

She decided to skip the LPGA event in Florida this week to make good on a pledge she made with Eroshenko.

“She played the Asian swing and she didn't know if she was going to play Hoakalei,” Eroshenko said, referring to the course in Hawaii. “Then maybe a week before she decided she's playing Hoakalei, I said, ‘Well, I signed up for the Monday qualifier, and if I make it, you’re going with me.’ She said, ‘Yeah, deal.’ And I made it.

“I was fortunate enough having her this week supporting, that meant a lot as well having a familiar face walking around and cheering on the lows and highs, so that was just awesome.”

Eroshenko won the qualifier, held two weeks ago in Orlando. The PGA TOUR could find no record of a Russian playing in any of its tournaments.

The OWGR has only four Russian players listed, led by Mikhail Morozov at No. 3,736. He mainly plays the Pro Golf Tour in Germany. By making the cut, Eroshenko will move past him and lay claim to being Russia's highest-ranked male golfer.

Guseva, who played college golf at Miami, won on the Epson Tour last year in Utah and earned her LPGA card. Her runner-up finish last week in Hawaii moved her to No. 25 in the Race to CME Globe, one spot behind Rose Zhang.

Eroshenko has kept busy since leaving UCF. He missed out in the early stages of Q-School for the PGA TOUR, and plans to go Q-School for the Asian Tour. He has been using his girlfriend's caddie at the Bermuda Championship. And it helps having another golfer — Guseva — in his gallery at Port Royal.

“I'm crazy. I get golf, golf, golf. I get way too on top of myself and a lot of thoughts,” he said. “So yesterday she was just like a mental coach. She's like, ‘You’re crazy. Just stop thinking about this and this.’ That's been a huge help just taking my mind off golf and goal. So that was great.”