RANCHO MIRAGE — Jennifer Johnson is looking forward to next week's class trip to the Grand Canyon, but before she goes, the La Quinta teen will do something even grander.

The Desert Christian High School honor student will be part of her first professional sporting event — the Kraft Nabisco Championship — where she is participating as an amateur thanks to a sponsor's exemption.

The longstanding tournament at Mission Hills Country Club annually extends invitations to top amateur players and Johnson got the surprise news that she would tee off against the world's best, Hall of Famers and others she aspires to emulate. The three-time American Junior Golf Association All-American will play at Arizona State University this fall and is already one of the top junior players in the country.

“I'm exited it's finally here and glad because I've been anticipating everything,” said Johnson, also a member of the victorious Junior Ryder Cup team. “It's a little nerve-wracking when you get out and see (the entire venue), then you start to put it all together. But I know (the course) pretty well. I feel comfortable on the course, but the more you play it, the better it is.”

Since receiving the official invite in February, Johnson continued to hone her skills on the Dinah Shore Tournament Course and PGA West, her two home courses, but she also plays on the boys' golf team at Desert Christian.

She played a practice round on Monday and finished the day with a few swings at the driving range.

She will be out of school this week, and she'll have to make up her work, but she didn't want to miss this chance of a lifetime.

On Tuesday, she played nine holes, was interviewed for an upcoming ESPN segment at her school, then went to the driving range again.

She says the confidence is there — as much as it can be — as she heads into today's first round of the four-day event.

“I'm confident, but not overly confident,” she said. “It is one of the majors in the LPGA. It's my first and a really good tournament to be in.”

After playing in Wednesday's pro-am round, she admitted that she's ready, although the butterflies are still there. She'll tee off at 12:56 p.m. today and picked out her ensemble earlier this week — white shorts and a black Polo shirt.

“Today will help me for tomorrow because it had more of a tournament feel,” she said Wednesday. “I feel like the worst part is over. I'm still nervous, but the practice rounds made it more comfortable.”