A party on the golf course?

In a sport where you're shushed and everyone has a straight face, Kalani High School senior Nicole Sakamoto has shown that a good laugh and smile are just as effective in lighting up the leaderboard.

"At tournaments, we're usually the ones being rowdy and having fun," Sakamoto said of her team. "Some schools come by us and talk to us."

Junior Nickolas Ha of the boys team said the Falcons are the "most fun" of teams out on the course.

"We all get along and we make each other feel motivated to do better," Ha said. "We're all really close and make fun of each other, but nobody takes it serious."

They're enjoyment of the sport, though, hasn't taken anything away from their game. The boys team won the O'ahu Interscholastic Association Eastern Division regular-season title and Sakamoto won four OIA East tournaments this spring while finishing second in three others. Rounds of 63 and 68 opened eyes, and heading into the start of the OIA Championships on Monday, Sakamoto is shooting for a title.

"This is my last year, I'm trying to have fun but be serious at the same time," Sakamoto said. "I've learned that when it comes to golf, you have to concentrate. When I'm hitting the balls and doing my routine, I concentrate. After I hit and we're walking to the ball, we have small talk.

"I like to be serious, but I like to have fun, too, because I feel more comfortable."

Sakamoto's attitude and approach have resulted in some of the best rounds of golf this season. She shot a 68 at the Ted Makalena Course for her first win of the season on March 20, and days later, followed up with a personal-best 7-under-63 victory at Ala Wai.

Sakamoto was 1-under through the first nine holes at Ala Wai before sinking some putts. She had seven birdies on the back nine, including the last three holes.

"I was really shocked when it happened," Sakamoto said. "My mom, she was following me, and she was in shock. I looked at her after my putt and she was like 'oh my god.' "

Sakamoto said there was some luck involved, and realizing her progress on back nine, tried not to "get overwhelmed and tried to keep it cool."

Kalani coach Jack Henry wasn't too surprised at Sakamoto's performance. He said Sakamoto has improved her short game from last year, and the entire team has spent hours working on their putting this season. In practice, the team has to do five push-ups if anybody three-putts. The whole team "has improved collectively."

"We had one round of golf where she had a five-putt and the next week we practiced for hours and she followed it up with a 68 and a 63," Henry said. "With her, eliminating that three-putt is the difference between winning and losing.

"They're at such a fine-tune level, one mistake is the difference of an OIA and state title."

Last year's runner-up finish at the OIA championships showed Sakamoto the importance of golf's mental aspect. She led by five strokes entering the final round, but ended up losing by one stroke to Roosevelt's Ha'aheo Manini-Hew Len.

"I felt really bad," Sakamoto said. "I could've calmed down more and not try to think about it and play my own game.

"I had a talk with one of my athletic trainers and he said in golf no one really affects you, you do everything to yourself. She didn't do anything to me. It's all mental."

In the summer, Sakamoto qualified for the Junior World Championships for the second time, but missed the cut by one stroke.

This year, she feels more confident in her swing. She's already accepted a scholarship offer to play for James Madison University in Virginia next season, but before her senior year ends, she wants that OIA title and a top-five finish at the state tournament.

Henry said Sakamoto is "blessed" to have a good support group of family and teammates. Her attitude, shared by the entire team, keeps things in perspective.

"Even on the worse days and on the worse rounds, she'll always put the game aside and have a smile and that's really refreshing," said Henry, whose two children admire Sakamoto. "The pressure you have playing at that level and still be able to focus on just laughing, that's refreshing."

FALCON NOTES: Kalani senior Marc Arakaki will walk on to the Oregon men's team in the fall. Freshman teammate Joshua Salomon, who attends the Hawai'i Center for the Deaf and Blind in Kapahulu, made his first eagle of the season at the Kane'ohe Klipper Golf Course on the 14th hole from 150 yards out on March 31.