Kim, who beat the Australian 5 and 3 at the Presidents Cup, rallied from an early two-hole deficit, pulling away at the 27th hole in near perfect conditions at the Finca Cortesin golf course.

The American first overcame an errant tee shot on the 26th to save par and halve the hole before holing out from 101 yards for an eagle at 27. A birdie on the 28th gave him a four-hole advantage.

Kim will face Ross Fisher (FSY) of England in Sunday's 36-hole final. Fisher defeated Masters champion Angel Cabrera (FSY) on the third playoff hole.

Kim said his par save at the 26th was the key.

"That was the hole that really sealed it for me," he said.

The American barely held on to his driver at the 26th as his ball sailed left into the bushes.

After taking relief, Kim pitched to 2 feet for his par while Allenby missed a chance to trim the deficit to one hole by flubbing a chip and then pushing his birdie putt wide.

"What happened was pretty crucial because he gave me a gift," Kim said. "He just miss-hit his chip a little and made par."

Kim was elated at the 27th — a short par-4 — after his sand wedge landed a few feet long before back-spinning into the hole. He then sank his birdie putt on the 28th for a four-hole advantage over Allenby, who missed from 4 feet.

Allenby missed several opportunities to close the gap to one before Kim pushed out.

Kim cruised from the 30th after putting his drive within 3 feet for a 5-up advantage and a chance at the $1.1 million prize.

"This is a very big tournament for me because it's been a very tough year," Kim said. "It's very rewarding to come out here ... and put on a good show."

Kim and Allenby were meeting for the first time since the American beat Allenby at the Presidents Cup. Allenby followed that loss with comments about how Kim stayed out drinking late into the morning before their singles match.

Some tension was apparent earlier Saturday as Kim made the Australian putt out from short distances, including a foot and a half at the 15th.

"It doesn't matter. I don't care, I'll put 'em all out if he wants," Allenby said. "I'm happy to putt them, I know I'm not going to miss them. I might do the same to him this afternoon."

Fisher secured a 1-up win after Cabrera conceded on Saturday, having needed five shots to reach the green. Fisher had powered his second shot 244 yards to within 5 feet of the pin in fading light.

The last American to win the event was Corey Pavin (FSY) in 1993. Shaun Micheel (FSY) reached the final in 2006.

Enlarge By Richard Heathcote, Getty Images Anthony Kim and Robert Allenby shake hands after their semifinal showdown at the World Match Play.