WAIKOLOA, Hawai'i — With final-round pressure and winds that bordered on ridiculous, Punahou sophomore Anna Jang and Maui High junior Kelcie Kawano high-fived, giggled and hugged their way into a playoff for the David S. Ishii Foundation/HHSAA State Girls Golf Championship yesterday.

Jang won the individual title with par on the first extra hole and helped Punahou win its first girls' team title. The Buffanblu held off hard-charging Waiakea, which had won three of the first eight girls' championships.

Punahou shot a final round of 249 (best three-of-four scores) for a total of 495. Waiakea (245) was eight shots back and Maui High (259) finished at 515.

That blew away the rest of the field as did the torturous winds at Waikoloa Kings. They were relentless in Tuesday's first round, teased the girls with a gentle start yesterday, then blew like crazy on the back nine.

"You just had to play your game, not think about the score," Kawano said through a big grin. "You couldn't stand up straight for more than a couple of seconds sometimes."

The medalists (top 15) averaged 84.5 Tuesday, or more than 12 over par. That dropped more than a stroke yesterday, but it was still in stark contrast to Stephanie Kono's cruise to last year's championship.

Kono, who couldn't play high school golf this year because of other commitments, opened with a record 8-under 64 in 2006. She coasted home in 136 — four better than anyone had shot in the 13-year history of the girls' individual title.

Jang and Kawano both opened with 6-over 78 Tuesday and were the only ones to break 80. They shot 81 yesterday, when only Punahou's Katie Sisler and Waiakea's Britney Yada broke 80. Sisler, a senior headed to UC Davis, finished third at 79—160 while Yada (79—163) was fourth.

Sisler and Jang, junior Brittany Isobe and freshman Soo Jin Byun — who both finished Top 25 — had more than enough to hold on to the 10-shot advantage Punahou created Tuesday.

"On a scale of 1 to 10 I'd give them a 10 on teamwork," said first-year coach Ed Kageyama. "They knew what they had to do as a team and actually did it. They rallied and stayed together. They over-excelled."

Jang gave Kageyama some of the credit, and her teammates the rest. "We all worked hard," she said. "We were dedicated to playing golf. It seemed like we practiced 24/7. If we weren't on the course we were in the room thinking about it."

Sisler played the final six holes in 1-under to fall just a shot short of the playoff, then saw Kawano's second shot roll up behind her, stopping 8 feet from the hole. Jang hit her second shot through the green, also while the next-to-last group was putting out.

That was the last weirdness caused by the brutal winds.

Jang overcame a triple-bogey seven on the 10th hole and Kawano a "double-par" eight on the 12th, keeping their composure in the midst of the craziness. Kawano missed her eagle putt on the final hole but tied Jang with the only birdie they had between them. They high-fived as they picked up their bags and had absolutely no idea they were tied until they signed their cards.

They went to the 17th to start the playoff and gave each other a hug before both hit drives that left them 120 yards to the hole. They giggled as they walked down the fairway.

Jang stuck her approach shot 15 feet from the hole.

"That helped me calm down a lot," Jang said. "My heart was going thump, thump, thump. I just told myself visualize the shot and imagine it's like every other. Pretend it's the 18th hole and you only have one hole left."

Kawano figured she "just had to put it right in there too, but a little bit of Kelcie came out." She hooked the ball, chipped to 8 feet and they giggled again as they put their clubs down.

It ended when Jang missed her birdie putt for the win, leaving it short, and Kawano missed a chance to extend the playoff when she hooked her par putt. "I pulled that one, too," Kawano admitted, her frustration completely hidden as it had been all through the blustery day.

It was the only way to cope and Jang mastered the art as well. She said her playing partners helped keep her calm in the eye of the wind storm. Kawano and Kageyama both called Jang's serenity her greatest asset.

"She can go out there and have fun and stay focused," Kawano said. "That's really rare. She can joke and she can bounce back."

NOTES

Waiakea seniors Valerie Kitamori and Tami Park are both heading to Pacific in Oregon for college, according to coach Ken Watanabe, in his final year as the team's coach.

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.