Anthony Kim wants to prove himself a golfer on the way up again and not somebody who hits the headlines for the wrong reasons.

Kim, who has dropped from sixth in the world a year ago to 23rd and last won a title in July last year, was caught up in controversy over alleged late-night drinking at the Presidents Cup three weeks ago.

But he is adamant that he understands his responsibilities.

Kim is now at the Volvo World Match Play in Spain and after victories over top seed Paul Casey and South African Retief Goosen yesterday was likely to earn a last four spot even if he lost narrowly to Australian Scott Strange in his last group game today.

That semi-final could be against Strange's fellow countryman Robert Allenby, the player who told reporters in San Francisco that friends had seen Kim "sideways" at the team hotel in the early hours before their singles clash.

Allenby even compared him to 'Wild Thing' John Daly, but Kim last night spoke about the situation he finds himself.

"There is a time and a place for everything and my mother has been telling me that since I was four years old," he commented.

"I try to listen to because she still scares me. When I signed contracts with some of the notoriety and the money came a lot more responsibility.

"And sometimes it's easy to forget and just say 'I'm 24 years old, I'll do whatever I want'.

"But I understand and for the last year and a half have been good about understanding that this is my job.

"There's a lot of kids that look up to me. I'd better represent myself and the companies that I do represent well."

As for the Allenby incident he stated: "It's in the past. Robert and I talked obviously and we have moved on."

Allenby occupies second place in Group B, but a win over England's Oliver Wilson would put him through.

That was because Wilson beat Sergio Garcia and Martin Kaymer on the first day while Allenby beat the German and then halved with fourth seed Garcia.

Garcia and Kaymer are out of contention for the title, but under the new format still had to play each other.

Kaymer is still limping two weeks into his comeback from surgery in August on toes broken in a go-kart crash.

Garcia could get out of playing a "dead rubber" by inventing an injury, of course, but he insisted: "I've never done that.

"If I didn't do it at Carnoustie in '99 (when he finished last after rounds of 89 and 83) why should I do it now."

Casey, for whom this is his first event back since August 6 because of a torn rib muscle, has no semi-finals hope either after losing to Strange and Kim.

But he was hoping to build on some encouraging signs when he faced Goosen this afternoon.

"This morning I was questioning whether I had come back too early," he said after play yesterday. "But I don't now. That was much better - I hit a lot of good shots."

The top four on the Order of Merit - Lee Westwood, Kaymer, Rory McIlroy and Casey - drew a complete blank on day one.

But Westwood, thrashed by Jeev Milkha Singh by six holes, and McIlroy, crushed by Masters champion Angel Cabrera by five, had two games today to try to repair the damage.