An elite field will tee off in the Men’s & Women’s Amateur Championship of Tasmania at the Mowbray Golf Club on Saturday.

Royal Hobart’s Joey Bower will start firm favourite for the men’s championship this year, the 21-year-old one of a number of local hopefuls fighting to keep the title on home soil.

The women’s championship will see defending champion Tasmania Golf Club’s Mackenzie Wilson start as favourite.

Entries for the 109th staging of the state’s most esteemed amateur event have seen 81 competitors listed to play for the prestigious titles.

Other Tasmanian men to watch include Launceston’s Mitch Van Noord, Stanley Jack Lakin and Ronan Filgate from the Prospect Vale Golf Club.

Royal Hobart young gun Hunter Gillard and Burnie Golf Club’s Brayden Field will also be out to prove their mettle.

Jack Buchanan, a plus four handicapper from Glenelg Golf Club in South Australia, is one of 34 mainland competitors contesting the event.

Other mainland competitors keen to capture Tasmania’s top prize include Quinnton Croker from Queensland and Joseph Buttress of Western Australia.

Standing in Wilson’s path for the women’s championship will be Tasmanian High Performance Squad member Hallie Meaburn from the Royal Hobart Golf Club.

Challenges are also expected from Launceston junior Jorjah Bailey and last year’s runner-up, Sarah Johnstone. from the Ulverstone Golf Club.

Current Tasmanian Junior Masters champion, Haruhi Nakatani from Queensland, will make the trip back down to the Apple Isle for a shot at the women’s title.

Other competitors to keep an eye on include South Australia’s Caitlin Peirce and Sarah Wilson from Queensland.

The leading eight men and eight women from the 36-hole qualifying rounds will decide the championship through elimination match-play.

The event concludes next Monday with two 36-hole finals and the crowning of Tasmania’s men’s and women’s amateur champions.

Meanwhile, Tasmania’s best senior golfers will tee off for the Men’s and Women’s Tasmanian Senior Masters at Mowbray.

Among the Tasmanian amateur field, 14 competitors over the age of 55 will be chasing the Masters title in the three-day event.

Key men’s competitors include Royal Hobart’s Richard Denholm, Prospect Vale’s Robbie Berne and Launceston Golf Club’s Shayne Walker. Tammy Hall and Julie Berne from the Prospect Vale Golf Club are expected to decide the women’s event.

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