She may think otherwise once she’s had a taste of the slick greens but American Morgan Pressel believes playing a course like Royal Melbourne is a treat for golfers on the LPGA tour.

The 23-year-old, who was the youngest-ever winner of an LPGA major when she was just 18, arrived in Melbourne on Monday to prepare for the $1.1 million Australian Women’s Open, which is co-sanctioned with the American LPGA Tour for the first time.

Pressel had yet to start her practice and only knew of Royal Melbourne what she had seen while watching last year’s President’s Cup.

“I definitely saw how it was firm and fast,” said the world No.16.

“They had a ton of trouble holding some of the greens and even putting off greens; it was pretty crazy.”

But she was excited the women were playing on the famed sandbelt course.

“It’s the first time in the course’s 120-year history that Royal Melbourne will host a women’s professional golf event,” she said.

“I think it’s a special week any time we can play on one of the best courses in the world.

“We play a lot of nice courses on tour but we don’t play a tremendous number of truly the best courses.

“To play a course like this is definitely a treat for us.”

In her seventh year on tour Pressel, who finished runner-up in last year’s LPGA Championship, said news that 14-year-old New Zealand sensation Lydia Ko won the NSW Open last month made her feel old.

“It’s definitely getting younger; that’s been a trend over the last 10 years where almost the younger you can get out the better,” she said.

“I thought I was very young and still am fairly young but when I come out here I feel old.

“To think that a girl who’s 14 is winning a professional event, it’s pretty amazing.”

Ko will play at Royal Melbourne as will new LPGA Tour member American Lexi Thompson, who became the youngest player in history to win an LPGA event at age 16 years at the Navistar Classic last September.

She followed up by becoming the youngest professional to win on the Ladies European Tour at the season-ending Dubai Ladies Masters.

World No.1 Yani Tseng has won the last two titles, however the event this year has attracted six of the world’s top ten players including No.2 Suzann Pettersen from Norway.

Four-time winner Karrie Webb will lead the Australian charge.