BY BRENDAN JAMES at Victoria Golf Club

Suzann Pettersen has spent the past 349 weeks entrenched in the top-10 of the women’s world ranking. But the Norwegian couldn’t really care less, she just wants to be the best player she can be.

Even if she wins the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open this week, and takes over the No.1 spot from Inbee Park as a result, it won’t be a time for celebration. She knows she’s good and doesn’t need a number beside her name to tell her that.

Pettersen fires her approach into the 5th green. PHOTO: Getty Images

“I really just want to see how good I can be,” the 32-year-old said. “I know I'm good … if I play like I did today and trust my swing and trust what I'm working on.

“I just want to see how far I can get and I don't really measure myself up against other players, they're just my competitors. I measure my game; always have, towards the guys. I think I have the most to learn from them.

“So it's really trying to take baby steps to get better every day. I ain't going to finish this game before I feel like I've reached my potential.”

She took one such step in the first round of the Open at Victoria Golf Club with a superb six under 66, which included nine birdies and three of those came in the closing trio of holes. In an ominous sign for the rest of the field, Pettersen confessed to leaving a few shots on the course, suggesting there was still some rust to be worked out of her game in her first event of 2014.

“I had a very good warm up but it took me a little while to get really comfortable, to trust what I've been working on but figuring out that the trust is stronger than the rest, so I had a lot of great shots,” she said. “I also must say I feel like I left a lot of shots out there. I mean, I three putted a couple of greens, stupid three putts really.

“But also I felt like I played good and gave myself a lot of good chances. I putted, for the most part, well. It was a little bit of a mixture but 66 opening round, I'm very, very happy.”

Pettersen played aggressive golf during her round, highlighted by taking on the short par-4s at 13 and 15 with her driver. She bombed tee shots 280 metres down the fairway, almost reaching the green on the latter. She admits she is hitting the ball further after spending a lot of time in the gym during the off-season.

“Well for me being strong, being fit, it's actually complementing my swing,” the two-time major winner said. “I've always liked to work out and in the winter you have a little more time.

“At one point I thought I had almost overdone it but I'm feeling good, feeling energised and like I said, it's complementing what I'm trying to achieve with my swing, trying to get more speed, so more explosive.”

Pettersen has a clubhead speed that has been measured at 102 miles per hour. The average speed on the men’s US PGA Tour is 112. When asked about her prodigious hitting Pettersen laughed and quipped: “Have you not seen my guns?”

The World No. 2 smiles after smashing her drive down the 15th hole. PHOTO: Getty Images

Increasing her clubhead to hit the ball further as well as being more creative with her shot-making are all part of her learning process derived from watching male players

“I think overall, I think the guys are more creative with the golf ball, they hit more shots, which I've always – that's kind of how I play,” Pettersen said.

“I don't just kind of hit a straight shot, I usually work the ball towards certain pins and I just feel like I learn a lot from watching the best male golfers play, even just watching them on telly, you can see kind of how they're using their different shot making to attack certain pins.

“You see some girls I think do that, but not as many as on the guys and I've been fortunate enough to play and practice with the best guys in the world and learn a lot.”

Pettersen, who won the final major of 2013, said she is here to win and believes the tough examination Victoria Golf Club offers, suits her.

“Every tournament that I come to, I'm here to win,” she said. “It doesn't matter if we're here or in Sweden, Norway, America; I play to win.

“It's a good challenge.  You've got to execute, there's no bail outs and that's how you're going to get your game quite sharp, so playing four rounds here is going to really help the game develop.”

Korda had no bogies in her round of 67 and is well placed with calm conditions predicted for her second round on Friday morning. PHOTO: Getty Images

Pettersen has her nose in front but there are 13 players within two shots. The 2012 Champion Jessica Korda, American Jaclyn Sweeney, South Korean Hee Young Park and Frenchwoman Marion Ricordeau all shot 67 and lie one shot behind.

Korda, who won her Open across the road from Victoria at Royal Melbourne, loves the Sandbelt and her score today reaffirmed that affection.

“It was a good day out there,” she said. “It was a little windy in the beginning but turned into a beautiful day so I can’t really complain.”

A further stroke back at four under is a group of 10 players including Queenslander Sarah Jane Smith, teen sensation Lydia Ko and American Paula Creamer.

Smith is riding a wave of good from the New Zealand Open and Ladies Masters in recent weeks and it continued today with precise iron shots and some great putting.

“I hit my irons well and then the last few holes I putted pretty well,” she said. “I put myself in not the best positions coming in and holed a couple of really nice five footers for par, so that was good.”

Ranked 163 in the world, Smith said her ball-striking so far this year has been a huge improvement on 2013.

“I've worked really hard on my short game over the last year,” she said. “My ball striking was pretty ordinary last year, which is something I've never had before, so my short game sort of helped me out a lot.

“So hopefully now that I've got my ball-striking back and put the two together, I think that might be the next step to hopefully take my game to the next level.”

Minjee Lee is aiming to become the first amateur to win the Women's Australian Open. PHOTO: Getty Images

Ko said the course was not playing easy so she was happy with a 68.

“It's definitely not easy,” she said. “I came here with a goal, maybe three under par and I shot better, so that's great.”

Dual Australian Amateur Champion Minjee Lee, from Western Australia, continued her good form from the Ladies Masters, where she finished runner-up, to post a 68 and is well poised to make a run at the title. No amateur has ever won the women’s national Open. China’s Yan Jing lies three strokes behind Lee in the race for the leading amateur medal.

Australia’s No.1 player Karrie Webb finished with a one under 71 but it wasn’t a happy return to the Melbourne Sandbelt for the four-time Open champion.

Having been disqualified for signing a wrong scorecard at the Ladies Masters last week, she was spared the embarrassment of another rules infraction before she had even hit her first shot.

The seven-time major champion in into her pre-shot routine when from match referee and Golf Australia Chairman, John Hopkins, spoke up to point out that her ball was teed up marginally in front of the tee markers. Had she played the shot she would have been penalised two strokes.

Stunned by the call, Webb removed the tee and re-teed the ball about a metre behind the markers and looked at Hopkins to ask “How’s that?”

After her round, she was obviously still not impressed by the incident.

“John Hopkins thought that my ball was ahead of the tee markers, which no one else in my group did, but as long as he did,” she said.

“As long as he felt useful, I guess that’s a good thing.” Ouch!

LEADING SCORES

1. Suzann Pettersen (Now)  66

T2. Jaclyn Sweeney (US)  67

T2. Hee Young Park (S.Kor)  67

T2. Jessica Korda (US)  67

T2. Marion Ricordeau (Fra)  67

T6. Sarah Jane Smith (Qld)  68

T6. Lydia Ko (NZ)  68

T6. Azahara Munoz (Esp)  68

T6. Paula Creamer (US)  68

T6. Minjee Lee (WA, a)  68

For full scores, visit www.womensausopen.com.au