Crossword Genius

Hats for those who come first? (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

toppers

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'hats' is the definition.
(topper is a kind of hat)

'those who come first?' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'first?' could be 'top' (top can mean the best or first) and 'top' is found in the answer.
The remaining letters 'pers' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'for' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Another definition for toppers that I've seen is " High hats".)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
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