After a summer of bittersweet near misses on the Mainland, Cyd Okino came back to her comfort zone and captured her second Hawai'i State Women's Match Play Championship yesterday at Oahu Country Club.

The Punahou sophomore defeated Nicole Sakamoto, 5 and 3. Sakamoto, a Kalani graduate, leaves tomorrow to attend James Madison on a golf scholarship.

In the 33-year history of match play, eight golfers have won it more than once, a group that includes Hawai'i Golf Hall of Famers Bev Kim and Lori Castillo. No one was nearly as young as Cyd the Kid, who claimed the final women's major of the year at the tender age of 14.

Okino is also the youngest to win state match play, earning her first title four years ago, at 11. That victory was a roller-coaster ride of spectacular shots and misses, made more memorable by her ability to play well despite her father's loud criticism.

Yesterday was remarkably and refreshingly different. Okino never trailed, never lost her composure, rarely hit a bad shot and never hit a bad putt. Father Cyrus — allowed back on the course by his daughter and coach Casey Nakama after a long, forced absence — was cordial, calm and constructive as her caddie.

It was tough to tell who had matured more, but Cyd unofficially crowned her father "Most Improved Parent" yesterday.

"He controls his anger better," she said. "He just realized he had to change. I remember when I won four years ago he was a mess. I'd miss a putt and he'd get super mad. Now if I miss a shot he'll laugh or just say do better on the next one and I usually do."

After finishing fifth in her first state high school championship, Okino blew away everybody at the U.S. Women's Open qualifier, which got her into the U.S. Women's Amateur, U.S. Girls and Public Links.

But she missed all her Mainland cuts, which made this week even sweeter. "My summer, I qualified for all these tournaments, but I didn't make the cut to anything," Okino said. "I just needed to win something."

Okino was 9-under par in her three matches. She opened with birdie yesterday, lost the next hole, then birdied Nos. 5, 9 and 10 to take a 3-up advantage.

"She just hits it solid and straight, and her putting is really good," Sakamoto said. "I was just messing up. ... My driver put me in trouble. I could get on the green and everything but my putting wasn't all there."

Sakamoto won the next hole but, heading up Nu'uanu Valley, took a wrong turn on the 13th, pulling her approach into the bushes. That dropped her three back and Okino made it four when she hit her approach to 2 feet for birdie at the 14th.

It ended on the 15th when Sakamoto hit her approach shot from 170 yards to 6 feet, charged the putt and missed — twice. She conceded and the two friends, who met in Casey Nakama's program six years ago, hugged. Sakamoto got revenge later, pushing Okino in the pool after the trophy presentation.

The two played at a torrid pace — they would have finished 18 holes in less than 3 hours — and Sakamoto's game had been just as hot until yesterday, when her driver went wild and her putting deserted her. It was her first try at match play, after top three finishes the past two years at Jennie K. and State Stroke Play.

She had Okino worried, down to the last hole. "I figured she would make that first putt and then we'd go to the next hole," Okino said. "The whole week I never saw (Nos.) 17 or 18 so I was afraid she would make that putt and if she won the next hole then I would be a little shaky."