Maria Verchenova is the number one female golfer from Russia, having won numerous amateur championships in her home country and abroad before turning professional in 2006. She has had success on the Ladies European Tour, qualifying for major events like the US Open, and is currently preparing as the sole Russian representative for the 2016 Olympics in Rio, where golf is returning after over 100 years. Known for her athletic training regimen and large social media following predominantly of male golf fans, Maria aims to promote her brand and profile on the global stage.

1. MARIA VERCHENOVA (BALIKOEVA)–
NO.1 RUSSIAN GOLFER
October, 2015 in London

2. Olympic games 2016
• 45th (out of 60) in Olympic official golf ranking
• the only golf player from the Russian Federation
Accolades:
• 2015 – won qualification round to the world’s largest
professional golf tournament US Open
• 2015 – tied 28th in British Open, tied 47th in the US
Open
• 2014 – finishing in top-25 in the largest European event
LET (Ladies European tour)
• 2013 – tied 4th at HONMA Pilsen Masters
• 2004 and 2006 – Russian Amateur Champion, turned
pro in 2006
• 2006 – won Austrian Amateur Championship
Superlatives:
• Longest competition drive – 310 yards (280 m)
• Lowest competition score – 66
Equipment
• Driver and irons – Wilson ProStaff
Tour geography in 2015
• US, United Emirates, England, Scotland, China,
Russia, Sweden, Czekh Republic, France, Turkey
Media and TV coverage
• Sky TV 4 globally, Golf Digest, Sports Illustrated, Golf
Punk
Golf athlete

3. • First Russian professional golf player Maria Verchenova (formerly Balikoeva) started to play golf at 12 years old.
Before starting her professional career in 2006, young Russian golf prodigy won a prestigious Austrian Amateur
Championship, she became two times Russian Amateur Champion in 2004 and 2006. After winning Slovenian and
Lithuanian Amateur Championships Maria decided to be a professional.
• Today Maria consistently earns her exemption place in LET (Ladies European Tour) – largest golf tour in Europe
where she played all seasons since 2012.
• Last year Maria ventured into the US market and was extremely successful at her start – she won the qualification
tournament for US open in May 2015.
• Currently Maria is preparing herself for Olympic Games in Rio 2016. First time golf Olympics in 110 years is a truly
epic event in the world of golf, it is of a phenomenal interest of media and global golf audience. Maria is the only golf
player of the Russian Federation.
Performance diva

4. • Inspired by Tiger Woods very early in her career, Maria decided to become a versatile athlete and to build her body in
a serious manner.
• Gym and fitness - today she spends minimum 1,5 hours a day in a gym working on all different parts of golf fitness-
core , stability, endurance, flexibility, balance and cardio.
• Yoga - Maria is in the process of creating her own Youtube version of gym and joga exercises for ladies and fans of
golf ladies. She knows how to get quickly fit during and after pregnancy, Maria never stopped exercising while
pregnant.
• Running – she started to run when she was a teenager and still enjoys her morning runs no matter where she is
• Ballet – since age of 6, Maria started to train as a professional ballet dancer upto 3 hours a day after school for more
than 15 years. Her passion to ballet still holds and time to time she takes the ballet classes again with professional
dancers
Gym and Yoga activist

5. Online motivation
• Maria is top 10 mostly visited Facebook ladies golf pro. Her page attracted almost 30,000 fans without any targeted or paid
marketing activities
• Important – almost all her fans are MALE in economically active age of 25 to 54 years old.
• Country wise she is extremely popular in the US and UK markets, there is a significant interest
from South Korea, India and Hispanic countries
• Our goal is to promote her fan club and take a leading role in ladies golf online environment
• Currently we are working on a design of her new website and a new online strategy

6. • Golf is back to Olympic games schedule in 2016
• http://www.igfgolf.org/olympic-games/
qualification-system/ogr-women/
• Currently easily 46th out 60 in the official Olympic
ranking because she is the only country
representative in the Olympics
• No corporate sponsorship and advertisement
allowed individually for athletes
• All major TV and digital media will enlarge their
programs during Olympics for golf
• Golfchannel and Sky4 will dedicate special
fulltime program for Olympic golf
Olympics story

7. Contact
sponsorship + partnerships + endorsements
Dina Zharova-Berbner
email: dinacanmv@gmail.com
mob: +44 7894518919
skype: dinacan
Connect:
Maria Verchenova