Lydia Ko will do well to match Annika Sorenstam, says Dame Laura Davies

Dame Laura Davies believes Lydia Ko will struggle to match the achievements of the legendary Annika Sorenstam despite the "incredible" start to her career.

Ko has already won 11 LPGA Tour titles at the age of 18 despite the presence of consistently strong fields, including a vast South Korean contingent led by current world No 2 and seven-time major champion Inbee Park.

The teenage superstar is favourite to land her second straight major at this week's ANA Inspiration in California, where she opened with a solid two-under 70 to lie just three off the early pace.

"This is one of the biggest events of the year for the ladies, and it's basically our version of The Masters," Davies told Sky Sports. "It's at the same course every year, and it's a great place. As soon as you get through the gates, you feel the atmosphere, see the set up and you know it's a major.

"It's such a top course. You get very long rough which you don't have every week, and it's a course where the better players will win. You cannot get away with playing average golf, you've got to be on top of your game, and that's why I'd pick Lydia Ko to win.

"Hopefully Charley Hull will have a good run, and Inbee Park finished second last week so I wouldn't be surprised to see her and Lydia fighting out another tournament.

"Lydia is just incredible. To put her achievements into perspective, I won 20 LPGA Tour events over 28 years, and she's already won 11 in three years and she's still only 18. A winning rate of four per year is extraordinary, and it's so tough to be that consistent because every week sees a strong field.

"The prospect of her keeping that up should be a little unrealistic, and I thought it would be impossible to match what Annika Sorenstam achieved in her career. But the way Lydia has started out, she's on pace to keep up with Annika. Time will tell if she can keep this going, and if she can, it will be astounding.

"She just doesn't hit any bad shots, and if she does miss the odd green, she gets up and down most of the time because her short game is so good. She literally has no weaknesses."

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Charley Hull is two years older than Ko and still looking for her breakthrough win in the United States, and Davies feels the Solheim Cup star will be a force to be reckoned with in the not-to-distant future.

"Charley's very young, exciting to watch and still so enthusiastic about everything," she added. "Maybe she should be less aggressive and not keep going for the big shot all the time, but I can't really say anything because I used to play right on the limit!

"But that's the way Charley plays and it's why I love watching her. Maybe she should back off a little bit, and she needs to make the odd extra putt that isn't dropping at the moment, and that is the difference between a solid top-10 finish and a win.

"When she matures a little more, I reckon in a couple of years she'll be up there contending every single week. Charley is such a good ball-striker, and the fact that she hasn't been as successful as Lydia Ko is a surprise to me."

Meanwhile, Davies is keen to host her own tournament on the Ladies European Tour schedule for the benefit of her new Laura Davies Foundation, while also helping to give British players a rare opportunity to play on home soil.

She said: "My brother runs my foundation and he came to me with his business partner a while ago with the idea of having our own tournament. I thought it was a great idea, and we announced the Foundation shortly after that.

"So it seems like a natural fit, and if we can get this on the LET schedule, the Foundation will benefit financially and we can raise money for the causes we follow - Great Ormond Street Hospital and others like that.

"It's also a great chance for British players to play an event in this country. One of the main reasons there's a lack of British stars is that we've got the Women's British Open - and half of them don't get in it - and the Ladies European Masters. Only two tournaments on home soil is not enough.

"I'm not saying it's going to happen. I'm not directly involved in it, but I know my brother is struggling to find a sponsor right now."

Davies will also be glued to Sky's televison coverage of The Masters next week, and feels Adam Scott will be the man to beat at Augusta National.

"I think it will be Adam's year again. I know Jason Day has just won back-to-back, but Adam did that earlier and he's won the Masters before and that might be the deciding factor. Jordan Spieth isn't playing brilliantly at the moment, so it's tough to see him defending.

"I think Justin Rose will have a good run at it, but Scott would be my pick."

For more details about the Laura Davies Foundation, visit her official website here.