Grant Woodward joined her for a round as she got ready to take on the world...

It's not until the fifth hole that I scent the whiff of a chance. By some miracle I've hit my ball further than Kiran Matharu off the tee and am eyeing an unlikely win.

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But then she sends her ball sailing 90 yards through the air, finishing just six feet from the flagstick.

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A scruffy chip, two bunker shots and couple of putts later and I'm picking my ball out of the hole for an ego-crushing six.

The suggestion of a smile creeps across my opponent's face. It seems to be saying, 'Nice try.'

Kiran, 19, is much like most other Leeds teenagers.

She enjoys hanging out with her mates, likes R&B music and has set her sights on learning to drive.

But unlike most other teenagers she has a talent that is destined to make her a millionaire before she hits 30.

She was just 11 when she was spotted as a potential future star of the
golfing world.

Having pestered her dad into taking her with him to the local golf driving range, she was hitting balls when she caught the eye of the club's professional.

He told her dad, Amarjit, that she had a natural talent for the game and soon she was swinging her very own set of clubs.

Help from the likes of Nick Faldo followed and two years ago she turned professional.

In 2007, her first full year on the women's European tour, Kiran posted three top ten finishes to earn herself a cool £80,000
and a top-of-the-range Volvo car.

Today, she will be teeing off at one of the biggest events in women's golf, the Ricoh Women's British Open.
Life has changed a lot for Kiran since she became a professional golfer.
She doesn't have time for boyfriends and barely gets chance to see her friends.

"They all understand why I'm never there though and I try and see them whenever I can," she says.
"I've been doing it ever since I met them so they all know what it's like.

"At school I'd be there one week, then I'd be away playing somewhere and was in the paper so they're used to it."

She's met Tony Blair ("He was nice but didn't know much about golf") but was more impressed by a recent encounter with R 'n' B star Akon.

"It was my birthday and Puma (her sponsors) asked me to come to London and have a look at their new stuff.

"MTV Base were there and we went to Urban Golf, an indoor golf centre in London, and Akon walked round the corner.

"We were there for two hours filming the show and interviewing each other. He stayed afterwards just to play more."

She's still in touch with Faldo, who keeps in contact with phone calls and texts, and is also pals with DJ Spoony from Radio 1, another keen golfer.

She also bumped into Jermaine Jackson, Michael's brother, at a recent awards show.

"I went up to get a picture with him and he asked what I did," she recalls.

"When I said I was a golfer we talked for about ten minutes because he wants his son to be a golfer. Golf is really good for that because lots of celebrities play it."

Kiran is quick to acknowledge the help her parents have given her to get this far.

Amarjit and wife Gurbakash used to run the HQ bar in Chapel Allerton, but gave it up to take over an off-licence and live above the shop so they could commit more time to helping Kiran develop her talent.

"I'll always look after my family because I probably wouldn't have earned any money without them," says Kiran.

"We'll be together all the time as a family because that's how we are. I don't want to move out of home.

"Because we're Indian we don't normally move out until we get married. But I don't think I'll be getting married soon."

At 13, Kiran was already playing golf for England and so never gave much thought to an alternative career.

She left Allerton Grange High School with seven GCSEs but admits the pressure was off because she already knew a future in the sport beckoned.

"Golf is what I always wanted to do so I didn't really think about doing anything else. My best subject was probably woodwork. I'd do my work then help all the boys with theirs.

"But playing golf is better than any job I can think of. I don't know what I'd be doing otherwise.

"It's hard work because of all the travelling and everything but at the end of the day it's what I've wanted to do since I was 13.
"I don't have a figure in my mind as to how much I want to earn from it.

"I don't really think about money. I think if you play how you want to you'll win and the money will come from there.
"I'm just trying my best to do everything I can to be number one."

Kiran says her short-term ambition is to qualify for the lucrative LPGA women's golf tour in America. That and win a tournament before the year is out.

This week at the women's British Open would sure be a great place to do it.

* With thanks to Sand Moor Golf Club for their hospitality.