You can take a girl out of Hawai'i, but you can't take Hawai'i out of a girl.

"I still miss Hawai'i," said Kimberly Kim, who is home for three weeks of R&R after four straight months of golf, including last week's U.S. Women's Amateur in which she reached the semifinals in a bid to repeat as champion.

"It was nonstop golf all summer. I need a break," said the Big Island native, who moved to Arizona last spring to cut down on travel time and expenses to play in the mandatory number of American Junior Golf Association tournaments to earn a national ranking.

The move has more than paid off, according to Kim, who is No. 2 in the latest Polo Rankings behind Kristen Park, who won the U.S. Girls' Junior.

"But it's a lot of sacrifice," said Kim, who's hanging loose with her sister Christine, a University of Colorado sophomore, and her nieces and nephews in Wai'anae this week before heading back to Hilo. It's her first trip home since playing in two LPGA events here in February.

Kimberly won't be touching her golf clubs at all during her stay. She left them back at her residence in Queen Creek, which she described as being "in the middle of nowhere." Actually, it's about a 45-minute drive from Phoenix.

She couldn't wait to come home and eat local grinds, according to her father, Soo Young Kim, a Big Island orchid grower. "She had a menu all planned out," he said.

"Manapua," said the youngster, when asked what the list of goodies included. "Hawaiian food, fish and stuff."

Eat, sleep and hang out with friends. A laid-back itinerary for a laid-back golfer, who isn't a head case on a golf course with her youthful "whatever" outlook.

Oh, she thought about working with a sports psychologist last year. But had second thoughts about it when she found out how much it would cost.

"They're so expensive," Kim said in a story on the USGA Web site. "They charge you like $1,000 for 10 sessions, and even when you're talking on the phone, they're charging you. So, I was like, 'No thank you. It's just way too much.' "

Needless to say, her comments elicited laughter in the press room.

Kim has been a poster girl for the USGA, receiving a lot of praise from its officials for her attitude and sportsmanship and the way she has conducted herself at their sanctioned events. Asked to speak at the awards dinner, Kim thanked the USGA for holding national championships that have helped to improve her game.

Besides being the youngest U.S. Women's Amateur champion last year, and having played in the U.S. Women's Open for the second year in a row, Kim set a course record and career best 10-under 62 in the medalist qualifying in this year's U.S. Girls' Junior, finished second in the Westfield Junior PGA Championship, and also played in the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship.

"It was pretty good," Kim said about her hectic summer.

Moving to the Mainland, though, hasn't really cut down on her flying time. She went halfway around the world when she was named to the USA team for the Women's World Amateur Team Championship in South Africa last year.

"It was a long trip and I really don't like flying," Kim said about her South African sojourn. "But it wasn't so bad because we got to fly first class."

She hopes it'll be first cabin again when she and Punahou School senior Stephanie Kono play for the American team in the Junior Solheim Cup in Bastad, Sweden, next month. And she especially won't mind flying even economy class if she can make the 2008 U.S. Curtis Cup team, because the event will be played at St. Andrews, the home of golf.

Two other major AJGA tournaments remain on Kim's schedule this year — the Ping Invitational in Stillwater, Okla., Oct. 5 to 8, and the Polo Golf Junior Championships at the Ginn Reunion Resort in Florida, Nov. 17 to 22 — giving her a shot at being No. 1 in the AJGA rankings.

For now, though, until she leaves the Islands the day before her 16th birthday on Aug. 23, it's simply a lot of R&R for Kim2. And chowing down on local grinds.