LANIKAI — It took Jaclyn Hilea 11 holes to make par in yesterday's final round of the HSWGA Stroke Play Championship. Her golf survival instincts were so strong, and her second-round lead so large, Hilea had basically clinched her first major adult victory by then.

"After No. 10, when I had four birdies in a row, I kind of felt like I could take a breath," said Hilea, who took a five-shot lead into the final round but opened bogey-double bogey. "I made a few more bogeys after that, but it wasn't as bad."

She won by four shots over the remarkably steady Kayla Morinaga, who was the only golfer who truly had a shot at catching Hilea yesterday at Mid-Pacific Country Club.

The winner, who just graduated from Moanalua High School, closed with 1-over-par 73. Hilea's three-day total of 3-under 213 is one off Stephanie Kono's record, set in 2003.

Morinaga, a Sacred Hearts graduate who leaves in September for her sophomore season at Portland State, shot 72 for a total of 217. University of Hawai'i junior Xyra Suyetsugu shared low-round honors with Morinaga to take third at 221. The two college students both had top-10 finishes at their conference tournaments a few months ago.

An eagle on the 52nd hole gave MPCC merchandise buyer Lesly Ann Komoda (77-225) fourth ahead of 11-year-old Kyung Kim (76-226).

Komoda, 37, was playing her third event since regaining her amateur status.

Hilea is on her way to discover her future, which has grown much brighter this summer. The former gymnast was part of Na Menehune's state championship team, then won her age division at the Hawai'i State Junior Championship and captured the coed ESPN National Golf Challenge local qualifier with 12-year-old Cyd Okino — who won her first women's major last year.

Hilea will enter the post-graduate program at the International Junior Golf Academy in Hilton Head, S.C. next month. The Academy has students from 23 countries and 33 states. Gary Gilchrist, who used to coach Michelle Wie, is director of junior golf programs.

Hilea says the one-year IJGA program is designed to let her know what she wants to do next, which could include helping her find a college scholarship or turning pro.

Yesterday, what she wanted most was that elusive par. Her first 10 holes were frenetic. She followed her double at No. 2 with two birdies, chipped in for double bogey on the next hole and bogeyed the sixth.

Just when caddie, coach and Hawai'i Golf Hall of Famer Lance Suzuki was about to lose his constant calm, Hilea came up with four straight birdies.

"He told me to calm down and focus. He sounded pretty scary when he said it," Hilea recalled. "He kind of jolted me into it."

Her approach shots, which tend to go right "out of the blue" according to Suzuki — who calls it Hilea's most obvious weakness — suddenly zeroed in. Hilea hit to within four feet at Nos. 7 and 10 and drained birdie putts of 15 and 12 feet in between.

By then her lead was back to five and Morinaga, who is a week younger than Hilea and simply refused to back off, could never cut it below three again.

Hilea blasts her drives 270 yards — "dead into the wind she is unbeatable," Suzuki said — and rarely misses from the frightening five-foot range on the greens. She concluded her major masterpiece yesterday by chipping in on the final hole.

It was just a little too much for Morinaga, whose score would have won the first eight Stroke Play Championships at Mid-Pacific. In the past five years, the average winning score is 1-under — 10 shots better than the previous eight.

"I was just born too late," Morinaga said with a smile. "I played pretty consistently the last three days. I had a few more birdies today (four) but I also had more bogeys."

Enough to fall four short of Hilea. It was Morinaga's second runner-up finish here in three years. Next time, she figures she needs more birdies, and probably more yardage off the tee.

"Jaclyn is long. I think it helps, it makes the course easier," said Morinaga, who weighs 110 pounds. "She's a great player. She was really putting well."

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.