Hamilton's girls golf team sizzled to nab the first-round lead of Friday's Antigua National High School Invitational at McCormick Ranch Golf Club in Scottsdale.

Playing among an elite field of schools from around the country, Hamilton fashioned a 7-over par team score for the first round played at the Palm Course. That's 13 shots better than second-place Millennium (20-over). Third is Xavier Prep (21-over), fourth is Archbishop McCarthy (Fla.) 22-over and fifth is Coronado (Nev.) 24-over. Hamilton's five team members shot no worse than 4-over in their first round -- Toni St. John, Alyzzah Vakasiuola, Hannah Li, Jenny Bae and Rachel Fujitani. Sixteen teams are competing in the girls competition.

In the individual chase, a three-way tie exists for the lead -- Xavier's Ashley Menne and Emily Mahar and Hamilton's St. John. The trio shot 72 (even par). Mahar finished third last year in the Division I state tournament. Five players are within two shots of the lead. Vakasiuola and Archbishop McCarthy's Julia Matzat at 1-over. and  Millennium's Brooke Veres, Li and Ironwood Ridge's Nikkie Gonzalez are tied at 2-over.

In the boys half of the tournament played on the Pine Course, out-of-state schools occupy the top three spots in the standings with 23 schools competing. Leading is The King's Academy (Fla.) at 7-over par. Lone Peak (Utah) is second (9-over) and Hinsdale Central (IL) is third (11-over). Brophy Prep is fourth (12-over) and Desert Vista is sixth (17-over).

Brophy's Nate Anderson shares the lead in the medalist race shooting a 2-under 70. Anderson is tied with King's Academy's Andrew Kozan. Other Arizona players in the top 10 are Salpointe's Trevor Werbylo (1-under), Campo Verde's Branden Meyer at even-par and Catalina Foothills Gavin Cohen at 1-over. Werbylo was second and Meyer third at last year's Division II state tournament. Werbylo has been D-II runner-up two years in a row. Cohen finished in a tie for 10th at the D-II state tourney in 2015.

The second (final round) for boys and girls is set for Saturday at McCormick Ranch.