Victorian Jessica Zhu and Queenslander Alfie Ward are the Tasmanian Junior Amateur champions for 2025.

The pair reached their destinations in different ways today at Launceston Golf Club: Zhu had to struggle through a difficult final round in the 54-hole tournament and then won a playoff, while Ward strolled to a comfortable, seven-shot victory.

Zhu shot rounds of 72-69-76 form 2-under but almost let the championship go, hanging in for a playoff against Ionna Muir of Queensland then winning the prize with a par at the first extra hole. The Victoria Golf Club product is a previous winner of two tournaments in Asia and a Victorian team representative.

Pelican Waters' Muir added the best round of the day, a 2-under 70, to her earlier 77-70 to finish runner-up.

Another Queenslander, Allegra de Guzman, was outright third at even-par, two shots back.

Ward started out with the lead today in the boys' championship and was never threatened. His rounds of 69-67-66 took him to 14-under par and a distance ahead of the field.

His nearest pursuer at 7-under was Victorian Rupert Toomey.

Ward plays out of Sanctuary Cove and won the Queensland Schoolboys championship in 2024.

The tournament was marred by vandalism of the Launceston greens by a lone motorcyclist midway through, but the greenkeeper's staff performed a near-miracle to have the course back in playing condition for the final round.

Many of the players competing this week will back up at the Tasmanian Junior Masters beginning on Thursday at Devonport Golf Club.

Girls result

Boys result