Case in point: Maria Verchenova, a young Russian golfer who’s hoping to capture the world’s attention, along with a couple wins here and there. She’s the first Russian to earn full-time membership on the Ladies’ European Tour, and notched her first top-10 finish in her rookie year, 2007.

She’s had strong finishes since then, including a Dubai Ladies’ Masters performance in which she briefly dueled with Annika Sorenstam for the lead. So far this year, she’s tied for 37th in her lone LPGA event, the Honda in Thailand. Look, not everybody can be Lorena Ochoa, okay?

Gymnastics, athletics, tennis – all of these sports have been conquered and graced by the ladies of Russia in the last 40 years.

What all of the successful athletes in these sports have shared is a natural flair for sport, a determination to make the most of their talent, a passion for competition and a beguiling nature that has captured the imagination of the world.

And where the likes of Svetlana Khorkina, Yelena Isinbayeva and Maria Sharapova have already travelled, golf’s Maria Verchenova hopes to follow.

Oh, but there’s more. Make sure you check out the fan site MariaVerchenova.com, where she’s billed as “Beautiful Sexy Golfer Maria Verchenova.” (Don’t know about you, but I can’t say that without slipping into a Borat accent.) As that site gushes, in lovably offbeat grammar, “Maria in my opinion is the most Beautiful Hot Sexy and Talented lady to have ever picked up a golf club, Maria has it all. I predict Maria Verchenova will become the next big sex symbol in sports. Maria I hope will one day you will make the move over to the LPGA and take America by Red Storm!!”

I can’t even try to top that, so we’ll leave off with a few pics. Maria Verchenova, everybody: