Arthur Pierse belies his years at Lahinch

In an era when amateur golf is dominated almost entirely by young men with their sights set on a lucrative career in the professional game, it should be next to impossible for a 65 year-old to set his sights on winning a major championship.

And yet, that possibility remains very much alive after the manner in which Arthur Pierse cruised into the last 16 of the 115th South of Ireland at Lahinch last night.

Pierse, a Walker Cup player as long ago as 1983, confines most of his activities these days to senior golf.