Birdie Kim wins first major title

Birdie Kim became the second South Korean to win the U.S. Women's Open when she triumphed by two shots after a spectacular finale at Cherry Hills Country Club on Sunday.

It needed something special to clinch the third women's major of the year, and the little-known 23-year-old pulled it off.

At the treacherous par-four 459-yard last, which had yielded only three birdies in the tournament, Kim holed out from a greenside bunker for a three, a round of one-over-par 72 and a three-over 287 total that earned her $560,000.

Two American teenage amateurs, 17-year-old Morgan Pressel and 19-year-old Brittany Lang, shared second place.

Lang closed with a 71 early on while Pressel, joint third round leader, needed a birdie at the last to tie with Kim but dropped a shot for a 75.

Once of six Kims on the LPGA Tour, the triumphant South Korean played as Ju-Yun in her rookie year in 2004 before changing her name at the start of this season.

She struggles with her English but managed to tell reporters: "This week was great fun, very exciting. I hit the ball pretty great today."

Asked why she changed her name, she replied: "There are a lot of Kims on Tour and I wanted something simple and that people would remember."

Few will forget her now after she joined 1998 champion Pak Se Ri as a Korean winner of the most coveted title in the women's game.

Kim, a 19-times winner on the Korean circuit, has a best finish of joint seventh on the LPGA Tour in a tournament in Atlanta in May and has missed seven cuts from 14 starts.

This week, she made her debut in the U.S. Open and her third major appearance. She missed the cut at last year's LPGA Championship and was 41st in this year's version two weeks ago.

For the two youngsters in second place, it was a case of mixed reactions.

Lang was delighted while Pressel, close to tears, said "second place means nothing".

The fiesty South Florida-based 17-year-old held her head in horror as she stood in the middle of the final fairway and watched Kim hole her winning shot.

"I thought: 'I can't believe this is happening to me'," she said. "I even said to my caddie: 'do you think she maybe hit it in the water and then holed the bunker shot?'

"I made a good start (she birdied the second) but missed a few putts and didn't really play very well at all."

Lang, who lives in McKinney in Texas, will turn professional in a few weeks' time. "Today was really exciting and I had a great week. I'll be exempt for the Open again next year and that's also pretty exciting."

However, it was a day to forget for the leading names.

Sweden's Annika Sorenstam, chasing the third leg of the calendar grand slam, started the day five shots off the lead but bogeyed the opening two holes on her way to a 77 and a 12-over total of 296.

She tied for 23rd, her poorest finish since she missed the cut in the 2002 Women's British Open at Turnberry.

Sorenstam, a comfortable winner of the first two majors of the year, said: "This was a week when I really never had any momentum, no flow.

"I was more aggressive and took a few more drivers today, but I hit them into trouble. I'm disappointed but you're always learning and the bottom line is that I didn't play well enough."

Michelle Wie, the 15-year-old prodigy who was joint overnight leader, reached the turn in 42 before carding an 82. For one of the few times in her high-profile career, she started to pour out the numbers more resembling a high school kid.

Perhaps the biggest calamity of all belonged to Lorena Ochoa.

Three over par, the eventual winning total, as she stood on the tee at the notoriously difficult 18th, she drove into water, hit her fifth into the stands and wound up with a quadruple bogey eight for a 72 and seven-over finish.

"Today was a really tough day and I was thinking that two over would be good enough for a playoff," said a distraught Ochoa. "Then when I came off the 17th green I saw everyone was dropping shots.

"To win the U.S. Open is the best thing for a woman golfer and I just threw it away. I know I always hit it too quick under pressure so I just tried to hit a smooth three-wood (from the 18th tee). But it was still too quick."

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