01:00 AM EDT on Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Regardless of what happens in the rest of her career, Birdie Kim already is assured a prominent place in U.S. Open history.

In the most pressure filled tournament of the year, an event known far more for poor finishes than good ones (as was evident earlier this month in the men's Open), Kim last year provided one of the greatest moments in tournament history.

Her hole-out from the bunker on the 72nd hole at Cherry Hills is sure to be included in Open highlights forever. Coming as it did at the end of a wild scramble that had seen a half dozen players make a run at the lead made it all the more special.

As great as it was, though, it is only a memory. Kim's goal now is to be part of the tour for as long as possible.

While that might seem assured for an Open champion, her case is unusual. The Open performance has been the only highlight thus far for the 24-year-old from Cheong-Ju, South Korea.

Kim earned $560,000 for winning the Open. That accounts for nearly three-quarters of her earnings in her three years on tour. She has not had another top 10 since the Open. Surprisingly, her case is not unusual, at least in making her first big splash in the Open. No fewer than 13 others before her have made the Open their first LPGA Tour victory.

It is a sign of how serious Kim is about the game, and how challenging the competition is in this era of spectacular growth in the women's game, that Kim has spent the past year reworking her game even as she was the reigning Open champion. Kim, who earned her way on tour after two good years on the Futures Tour, did not feel her swing would hold up in the long run. So she has been working with legendary teacher Bob Toski to make her swing better.

"I'm trying to tighten it up," she said through an interpreter. "When I get nervous, I lose my tempo. That's what I'm working on."

She enters ranked 108th on this year's earnings list. Her statistics are not good. She was 130th in driving distance (243.7) and 151st in driving accuracy (59 percent of fairways) entering play in last week's tournament in Rochester.

Many players have struggled as they have gone through swing changes -- a guy named Tiger Woods did much the same thing several years ago -- and then emerged better than ever once they settled in with their new swing. Kim is hoping it will happen to her, too.

-- PAUL KENYON