Melissa Reid thinks Suzann Pettersen has the game to be No.1 female golfer in the world.
For Pettersen, the world No.2, it is a dream, just as Reid, the world No.45 and one of Europe's best players, aspires to it.
The problem for all of them is Yani Tseng, who is so far ahead on the points scale, 16.25 points to Pettersen's 9.32 in second - light years in golf terms.
Tseng is a problem to all her competitors, winner of 11 official and one unofficial tournament last year, including two majors, and it is the bombshell from Taiwan who they will be chasing again when 156 players tee off in the Women's Australian Open begins at Royal Melbourne today.
Pettersen, who was previously No.2 behind all-time greats in Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa, has a habit of playing bridesmaid to the legends.
The Norwegian has never scaled to No.1 but she is far from content even after a season in which she won three tournaments and led Europe to a Solheim Cup win over the United States.
''It's always been a dream of mine,'' she said yesterday.
''I was No.2 after Annika at one point, after Lorena at one point and now I am No.2, after Yani.
''I feel like my game is there. Yani has a great head start. It will probably take more than a season to catch up with her. I don't really look at her game. I look at my game. What can I do better to get my game more consistent and to get the most out of it. But she is a great No.1. She is a very aggressive player, very fearless and obviously has a lot of confidence. I've beaten her before, so I know I can do it.''
Pettersen and Reid are far from the only big-time players in the field, which includes six of the world's top 10 plus two former No.1s in Karrie Webb and Laura Davies.
The reason is plain. As an LPGA-sanctioned event (for the first time), the best players are here, and there are no competing tournaments of note.
There is also an Asian swing starting. The players will be in Thailand next week, and Singapore the week after. All that remains is to see whether the golf-lovers support it, for Australian golf might never have had a better quality field.
As for the 30-year-old Pettersen, it is short game that she focuses upon as she tries to bridge the gap. Renowned for her ball-striking, she knows it will take her only so far.
''I spend a lot of time with my short game. I try to really fall in love with it, embrace it, and see every chance you have as an opportunity. If anything, my short game is holding me back a bit. My ball striking is good enough,'' Pettersen said.
Reid, 24, has a history of playing well in the Australian Open. She went top three in three of the past four years, and loves the sandbelt style.
The Englishwoman has a stated aim of being the best player in the world, and knows that to do it, she needs to shift her game from Europe to America, where the money and rankings points are so much better. She plans on going to the US tour school later this year.
''I want to be there. I think if I stay in Europe for much longer without playing LPGA, I'll get stale,'' she said.
There's another issue. ''The depth and strength of the European Tour is a lot better than when I first came out four years ago. The only problem is the money. It is difficult to make a decent living out there, whereas in America the opportunities and the whole set-up are very different. That is really where I want to start challenging myself and show up my strengths and weaknesses,'' Reid said.
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