Ann Elyse Clements putts on Monday during the first round of the Class 7A girls state golf tournament at Sunset Country Club.

MOULTRIE – Sadie Norman shot an 81 and Chloe Howell an 82 to lead Colquitt County to third place after the first day of Georgia High School Association’s Class 7A girls state golf tournament at Sunset Country Club.

The Lady Packers also counted a 102 from Tayler Brown for a 265, but the Lady Packers trail tournament favorite and first-day leader Lambert by 44 shots heading into Tuesday’s final 18 holes.

Lambert, which has won six of the last seven state tournament championships, did not match its Area-championship score of 207, but its 221 was 21 shots better than the 242 posted by second-place Peachtree Ridge.

Alpharetta was in fourth place following the first 18 holes, shooting a 267 that included and even-par 72 by Mahima Vurupatur, the best round of the day.

The rest of the 12-team field includes Walton, 270; Etowah, 278; Lowndes and Mill Creek, 279; North Pauling and South Forsyth, 280; North Gwinnett, 284; and Harrison, 285.

Lambert was led by Averi Cline, who shot a 73. Iris Cao and Sarah Im each had a 74.

Sharon Mun’s 75, the fourth-lowest round shot on Monday, did not count.

Ironically, it was Cline’s 71 that did not count when Lambert won the Area championship with three rounds of 69 by Im, Cao and Mun.

The only other sub-80 scores of the day were 78s by Ebby Somers of Lowndes and Grace Chung of Mill Creek.

Six players who qualified as individuals also are in the field. Their lowest score was an 84 shot by Samantha Dewendt of Forsyth Central.

Colquitt County qualified to play in the state tournament on its home course when it finished second in the Area 1 tournament, defeating Lowndes in a playoff for the spot.

Lambert’s girls have won the state tournament each year from 2013-2019, except for 2018 when North Gwinnett ended the Lady Longhorns’ five-year hold on the title.

There was no state tournament last year because of COVID-19.

The teams will tee off again at 8 a.m. on Tuesday for the final round.