Golf prodigy Lydia Ko has set what seems a modest ambition for this week's Australian Ladies Masters, days after claiming worldwide attention.
''My goal is just to make the cut,'' said 14-year-old Ko yesterday.
Public expectations are likely to be higher for the amateur who became the youngest golfer - man or woman - to win a professional tournament when she triumphed at the women's NSW Open on Sunday.
Ko will play in a headline-grabbing group with 16-year-old American star Lexi Thompson and Australian Kristie Smith at the event which is co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour and boasts a stronger field than last week. But there is one glaring omission from the start list - seven-time champion Karrie Webb.
A tournament she has dominated, Webb has been a regular at the high-profile Gold Coast-based tournament over two decades.
So the Australian great's absence from its 21st staging at the Royal Pines course in her home state has piqued curiosity.
Webb hasn't fronted the media to explain her reasons, but Australian tour boss Warren Sevil has defended her decision to miss the event.
''I've had a lot of media asking why she is not here but I don't think Karrie has to explain anything,'' Sevil said.
''If you look at the Australian Open and the Ladies Masters since 1995, Karrie has played 33 out of 33.
''People are trying to make something out of her not playing but I've spoken to her and it's all her focus on the first major of the season.
''It's all about preparing herself for the Kraft Nabisco Championship.''
The Kraft Nabisco in California from March 29-April 1, is the first major of 2012 and Sevil said the timing of the Ladies Masters didn't fit the schedule Webb has worked out in her bid to claim an eighth major title - and her first in six years.
But Webb's absence will ensure another player has their name engraved on the trophy come Sunday, and Thompson, the tournament favourite, is already setting Ko a tough pace in the early achievement stakes. She is the youngest US Women's Open qualifier at 12 and the youngest LPGA Tour winner at 16 before also winning on the Ladies European Tour in January.
''I'll be nervous,'' admitted Ko.
''I mean Kristie and Lexi, I see what they do. They are two big hitters and I am short.
''I'll try and treat it like any other round but obviously I am playing with two special people.''
While her goal for the week may seem modest, Ko is hoping her recent performances and status as the world No.1 amateur will open some doors in the US this year, starting with the Kraft Nabisco.
''I'm kind of looking forward to getting a few invites to pro tournaments like the Kraft in March,'' she said.
''Even getting a spot in the US Amateur last year was pretty hard ... I had to pre-qualify.
''To get a spot and play in a [major] championship without qualifying this year would be really nice.''
Ko revealed how a family trip to Australia when she was five got her started in golf.
Her aunty gave her a mini putter and seven iron to take home to Korea.
''I used to play around with them and people would say, 'Oh, you're pretty good', so my mum and dad decided I should start playing golf,'' Ko said.
A year ago Ko three-putted her last hole to lose the NSW Open by one shot to Sweden's Caroline Hedwall.
Last weekend that frailty had been replaced by a resolve that didn't give her chasers a sniff.
Her coach and caddie Guy Wilson has seen the transition in his prodigy as a player and person.
''I'm jumping on as many websites as I can to try and see what she's doing and how she's handling the media and how she is perceived by the media,'' said Wilson.
''She's just starting to open up, and joke, and carry on as 14-year-old girl does and should do.''
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