FINAL LEADERBOARD US unless stated +3 Birdie Kim (Kor) +5 Brittany Lang (am), Morgan Pressel (am) +6 Lorie Kane (Can), Natalie Gulbis +7 Lorena Ochoa (Mex), Karine Icher (Fr), Candie Kung (Tpe), Young Jo (Kor)

Joint overnight leader Michelle Wie collapsed to an 82, and Britain's Karen Stupples, also sharing the lead into the final day, posted an errant 78.

Kim was level with amateur Morgan Pressel, the remaining joint third round leader, with one hole to play.

But Pressel bogeyed to finish second with another amateur Brittany Lang.

Annika Sorenstam's faint hopes of continuing her quest for the grand slam were quickly ended by a poor start to the final round.

Five shots off the lead, Sorenstam bogeyed the opening two holes and finished with four consecutive dropped shots for a round of 77 that left her at 12 over for the tournament.

That was also the figure that Wie closed on, but her expectations were far higher having been regarded as the strongest of the leading three players going into the final day, despite her tender years.

The languid 15-year-old, second to Sorenstam at the year's second major, the LPGA Championship earlier this month, began with a double bogey and had two others in a round that also contained seven single bogeys.

Kim executes her superb escape from the sand in for a closing birdie

That share of 23rd place was Sorenstam's worst finish in a major since she missed the cut at the 2002 British Open at Turnberry.

"This was a week when I really never had any momentum, no flow," she admitted.

"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."

Mexico's Lorena Ochoa had played herself into contention with four birdies in seven holes from the turn to reach three over for the tournament, the eventual winning score.

But at the final hole she drove into the water and then hit her fifth into the grandstands to run up a quadruple bogey eight, leaving her in a share of sixth.

Kim, winner of 19 events on the Korean circuit, played under the name Ju-Yun in her rookie year in the US last season.

Her best previous finish in an LPGA event was seventh in Atlanta in May, and in 14 events this season she has missed seven cuts.

The famous bunker shot was fully 60 feet from the pin and was lofted 12 feet into the air before it rolled into the cup.

"I'm not a good bunker player. Finally I made it," Kim said. "It's just amazing. I can't believe it. I just tried to get it close. I just tried to par. I never thought about the ball going in the hole."

Florida teenager Pressel, in contention throughout the week, had three successive birdies on her front nine and finished with a 75.

Watching from back down the fairway as Kim holed her memorable bunker shot, the 17-year-old from Florida held her head and said afterwards: "Second place means nothing to me.

"I wasn't disappointed Birdie made that bunker shot but I was shocked, I was like, 'I can't believe this is happening to me'."