Laura ranked eighth in the nation

She's joining professional golfers Alena Sharp, Annika Sorenstam and Morgan Pressel, but Laura Hildebrandt is also entering familiar territory.

Laura, 17, will compete in her third Scotiabank Women's Charity Challenge with top female professional golfers on Tuesday at Toronto's Magna Golf Club.

Each year, the Scotiabank challenge gives Canada's top-ranked junior girls a chance to play with the world's best professional talent.

Sharp, a Hamilton native, is one of Canada's top-ranked female golfers. Sorenstam, an LPGA tour veteran, is an all-time great. Pressel is the youngest player in LPGA history to win a major championship.

Laura looks up to all three players and dreams of joining them one day.

"I've thought about it," Laura said. "After university, who knows, anything can happen."

Laura also hopes to learn more from these seasoned pros.

"They play at a really good tempo and they're really calm on the course, which is always good," she said.

Currently ranked eighth among Canada's junior golfers, the Ancaster High School student has accepted a golf scholarship to Kansas State University for next year.

After a working vacation in Myrtle Beach and regular visits to the Brantford Golf and Country Club, Laura is ready for another great season on the links.

She first picked up a club at age two and started playing regularly by age eight. As a Kansas State Wildcat, Laura can expect to travel across the U.S., competing in weekly fall tournaments and a spring season.

The highlight of Laura's golf career so far is her Ontario Junior Girls championship, won last summer in Port Elgin. She posted rounds of 68, 67 and 74 to finish -4 under for the tournament.

Practising at BGCC helps Laura sharpen her skills. She also gets expert instruction from Oak Gables golf pro Ralph Bauer.

"Brantford's tough," Laura said. Her top score for the course is a 77.

"It helps develop your game. If you can play that course, you can pretty much play anywhere."

As the spring season progresses, Laura plans to hit the course daily. She hopes to improve her driving accuracy, which she feels is the weakest part of her game.

Good birdie opportunity

With her strong putting and short game, Laura enjoys playing par-five holes that offer her a good birdie opportunity.

The Scotiabank Challenge includes a nine hole shotgun tournament and a clinic led by professionals. Each junior competitor will play one hole each against a professional player. The winner of each hole receives a cash donation payable to a women's charity of her choice.

Scotiabank and tournament sponsors hope to build on the $500,000 that has already been raised over the first two years of the tournament. Proceeds benefit Canadian women's charities, including women's shelters, treatment centres and cancer foundations.