A story in the New York Times sports section Sunday about the women’s golf phenom, Lorena Ochoa delved into the rarely-coincidental worlds of sports wagering and religion.

Despite it’s headline, “Keeping Faith, Ochoa Takes Magical Tour,” and a mention in the fifth paragraph that the 26-year-old Mexican golfer is Roman Catholic, the story was a sports piece - about a golf pro whom everyone seems to like.

However, reporter Karen Crouse hooks onto an interesting anecdote toward the end of the story.

After telling us that Ochoa gives herself incentives, which “always involves candy,” we learn that during a round in Mexico City last March:

…Ochoa told Brooker, who does not belong to any organized religion, that she was worried his daughters would be shut out of heaven. How many tournaments would she have to win, she asked, for him to have his children, Hadley, 3, and Madelaine, 2, baptized?

Brooker, taken aback by the question, quickly recovered. “One,” he replied, the Women’s British Open at St. Andrews.

Last August at St. Andrews, in the first women’s pro tour event ever at the Old Course, Ochoa scored a wire-to-wire victory for her first major championship in 24 tries. “It was very special,” she said.

Three months later, Brooker’s daughters were baptized in Connecticut. Ochoa could not make it because of a scheduling conflict, but she was there in spirit.

Makes you wonder what other kinds of unorthodox bets Ochoa’s made in God’s name around the greens.

Photo Credit: Ochoa jumps into the water to celebrate her victory after the final round of the Kraft Nabisco Championship at Mission Hills Country Club on April 6, 2008 in Rancho Mirage, Cal. (Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)