As golf fans, we love debating whether Tiger Woods is done, whether John Daly can return, and whether Phil Mickelson will ever pose a consistent threat. But every so often, as Sports By Brooks reminds us, we need to step back from the big hitters and keep an eye on what's going on in golf's outer reaches.

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?

Golf365 has an interview with Verchenova; the article's lede reads like somebody's trying to get a date:

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.

It's pretty standard stuff, sure. But aside from the obvious attractions of the article, the interesting element is how Russia apparently has little, if any, support for women's golf at the younger levels. So players must expend their own funds rather than relying on the state to support them. (There's some kind of twisted political irony in there being that we're talking about Russia, but Feherty has given us our dose of politics for the week, so I'll let that lie.)

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: