MOBILE, Ala. — When Christina Kim heard that Bell Microproducts was sponsoring a new LPGA tournament in Mobile, she couldn't help but feel like the stars were lining up for her.

Kim is a native of San Jose, Calif., where Bell Micro's corporate headquarters are. The inaugural $1.4 million Bell Micro LPGA Classic will be Sept. 8-14 at Magnolia Grove's Crossings Course. Kim's last career victory was at — you guessed it — the Crossings Course in the 2005 LPGA Tournament of Champions.

"It's kind of one of those cosmic things or something," Kim said during Tuesday's media day visit at the Grove for the upcoming Bell Micro tournament. "The home of my last victory and a company from my hometown is coming 2,500 miles across the country to sponsor a tournament. It's almost like a perfect storm for me." Kim, who flew into Mobile Monday evening after competing in the Women's British Open over the weekend, will return in almost a month and bring 131 of her fellow LPGA pros to town for the new full-field tournament. The Crossings Course was the home to the LPGA TOC from 1999-2007, bringing a select field of winners and active Hall of Famers to town.

"I'm thrilled to be coming back," said Kim. "It's the home of my last victory waaaaay back in 2005. I've always loved coming to Mobile and it was always special to me because it was a tournament where only champions could play. "As special as it was, it was a very elite but very small field.

"Now that it's expanded to a full-field event, we can bring a lot more players from the tour and let them see what we had to deal with all of those years we were here. They can come and enjoy the wonderful people here and this great golf course. I love coming here, no matter what time of year it is or how hot it is. There's always so many good memories when I come here, that feeling you get walking down the first hole knowing that you've won here."

The vivacious and colorful Kim will have plenty of competition for the trophy as 27 of the top 30 players on the LPGA money list have their names on the early commitment list for the tournament.

Perhaps the biggest name on the list is Paula Creamer, winner of the final TOC at Magnolia Grove in November.

Some of the other stars pledged to play in the Bell Micro include Natalie Gulbis, Suzann Pettersen, Cristie Kerr, Morgan Pressel, Se Ri Pak, Brittany Lang, Laura Diaz, Laura Davies, Catriona Matthew and Helen Alfredsson. While Kim's winless drought has extended to nearly three years, she is on pace to enjoy her best year on tour financially. She is 19th on the money list with $518,201.

"I had the quickest start to the season in my career," Kim said, noting six top-10 finishes in her first 13 tournaments. "I've always played better at the end of the year. My two wins have been late in the year when everybody is kind of dragging and I make one last-minute push." "I've had a great year. I feel like I'm more comfortable with who I am and that comfort has brought out on the golf course. I've got a little more inner peace, if that's possible for me. I feel more at ease and it's not as taxing as it's been in the past." She thinks she's primed to get back in the winner's circle and knows it would be extra special for that to happen in Mobile and with Bell Micro as the sponsor.

"I'm very close," she said. "I'm playing as well as I have ever played and I'm playing well consistently, which is a huge thing. It's a matter of the putts lipping in instead of out. It's not like I have to change a lot of things."

In other news from media day festivities:

-- Tournament director Jim Johnson announced that the female winner from The Golf Channel's "Big Break X: Michigan," which begins airing in October, will receive a berth in the 2009 Bell Micro Classic. Two-time Mobile Metro champ Haymes Snedeker of Fairhope was chosen to compete in the show's new team format. His partner is Bernadette Luse, an old friend from Ole Miss and a former LPGA pro.

-- Joe Cousins of Bell Micro talked about the company's excitement of being involved with the tournament. He said the company plans to entertain 50 of its top customers throughout the week, as well as six of its top vendors, including executives from Samsung and Intel.

-- Mobile County Commission President Steve Nodine spoke of the economic impact of the event that will generate an estimated 12,000 hotel room nights as well as worldwide television exposure for the area through The Golf Channel's coverage of the event.

-- Tournament officials said there remains a need for volunteers to work during the tournament, particularly for walking scoring and course marshals. For more volunteer information, click here.