Kim overcame a dreadful start to the final round – a double-bogey at the first hole followed by a bogey at the next – and bided her time before coming through at the end for her eighth victory on the LPGA Tour.

A tap-in birdie at the par-five 18th for a three-over-par 75 lifted her into a three-way playoff with fellow South Korean Lee Jeong-eun6 and England’s Bronte Law at Lake Merced.

Kim then birdied the same hole in the playoff, sinking a three-footer after her two rivals had missed from about double that distance.

“It was really frustrating, starting really bad,” 25-year-old Kim told Golf Channel.

“Even then I try to keep going and focus.”

“My position is last group so all day I’ve got a lot of pressure. I’m still almost my heart came out.”

Law had threatened to pull off a comeback for the ages after starting the day 10 strokes behind Kim.

She eagled the par-five 15th, shot 65, and then waited for a couple of hours to see if her score would be good enough.

It almost was, but first Lee came in with a 67, before Kim matched them both at seven-under 281.