THIS was going to be one of the biggest reeling in jobs since they tried to land Moby Dick.

In the end, nobody could catch In-Kyung Kim as she eased to victory in the RICOH Women’s British Open here at Kingsbarns.

Having forged a mighty six-shot overnight lead, Kim finished the job off with a composed, considered display of front running golf as she captured her first major title and a tidy cheque for almost £388,000.

A closing one-under 71 for an 18-under 270 put the tin lid on a fine performance as she came in two ahead of the fast-finishing Jodie Ewart Shadoff who mounted a spirited, rousing surge with a course record-equalling eight-under 64.

Having missed out on a maiden major in 2012 when she failed to convert a putt of just a few inches on the final hole of the Kraft Nabisco Championship, this was something of a redemption for Kim even if she has developed a more carefree, philosophical approach to golf and life in that time.

“Things happen to people, we make mistakes but missing that putt wasn’t the worst thing that can happen in life,” said Kim, after chalking up her third LPGA Tour title in the space of two months. “You shouldn’t dwell on the past. I prefer to savour the present. I feel quite rewarded these days.

“I don’t take anything for granted either. When I make a three-footer I get really excited about making that putt. I think that’s the reason I finished this off today.”

Kim loves The Beatles. We were not sure if she was aware that on August 6, 1965, the Fab Four released the album Help.

On this same day in 2017, the rest certainly needed assistance if they were going to catch her. The chasing pack gave it a good go as they tried their best to pile on some pressure.

It was Michelle Wie who led the initial offensive with the kind of early charge that could have been accompanied with a bugle.

The former US Women’s Open champion, who had started the week with a shimmering 64, birdied four of her first six holes in an outward half of 30.

None of this seemed to bother Kim, though. On the par-3 first, she settled any nerves with a delightfully flighted tee-shot which rolled to within a foot.

A birdie to start sent out an immediate statement of intent. It almost got better for her on the fourth when her raking birdie putt birled round the cup and stayed out. She would have a few near misses as the day went on.

Ahead of Kim there were others making gains and launching raids and nobody was more robust in their pursuit than Ewart Shadoff.

A burst of five birdies in a row from the sixth had the Englishwoman bounding along nicely as she tried to claw her way into contention from nine strokes back at the start of the final round.

Kim remained resolute but her first little mishap came on the ninth where she three-putted from distance for a bogey.

Until that point, Kim had gone 43 holes without dropping a shot. There was another anxious moment on the short 12th where her tee-shot flirted dangerously with the bunker only to come to rest on the edge of it. A neat up-and-down tempered any palpitations.

Wie, meanwhile, ran out of steam with a bogey on 17 as she posted a 66 for a 13-under score. “I just tried to play my butt off, basically, and tried to make as many birdies as I could,” she said after eventually finishing third.

With Wie in the clubhouse, it was left to Ewart Shadoff to continue the fight and her bold and brilliantly executed approach into the 17th to five feet set up a birdie which got her to within two shots of the lead.

“I didn’t think, starting the day, that I would have a shot,” said the 29-year-old after the best major finish of her career. “I had a great stretch in the middle of the round to get me going and I told myself just to take the opportunities when they came along.”

Ewart Shadoff had done her bit. Now she could only wait to see if Kim would falter.

There was no chance of that, though. On the 17th, Kim, who watched a birdie putt rear up agonisingly short on the 16th, backed off her approach over the burn but she calmly re-grouped and clattered a super 5-wood safely into 15 feet.

“I thought to myself ‘it’s not done yet’ and at that moment a bird or something flew over,” she said of the minor distraction that could have had a major impact.

Kim kept her focus right to the end. A regulation four on that 17th was followed by an uneventful march up the 18th.

Nine straight pars had completed the job and Kim was on cloud nine. She has certainly got used to clouds over the past couple of weeks in soggy Scotland.

“Playing in the Scottish Open really prepared me for this week,” she said. “Every day is rain so I expect it and when it wasn’t raining I was like ‘whoa’.”

Kim made sure it didn’t rain on her victory parade as she became the queen of Kingsbarns.