The Big Three had better watch out. Super senior Arthur Pierse is on the prowl ­ and he means business.

The former Walker Cup player and Ireland international battled his way through qualifying to make the field for the MasterCard Senior British Open Championship at Royal Co Down today. Now he's ready to go toe-to toe with join Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player on a course he knows well from his amateur days.

He said: "I just want to see if I can play with these guys," said the gutsy 50 year-old. "I've done the hard part, which is qualifying, but now it's time to play serious golf."

But that's only the start. If everything goes according to plan Pierse hopes to turn professional and test his game against the tough guys on the big money US Senior PGA Tour. Pierse's former Munster team mate, Denis O'Sullivan, is expected to provide the strongest home challenge in the absence of injured champion Christy O'Connor Jnr.

Nicklaus, 61, is expected to challenge strongly for the title with Order of Merit leader Denis Durnian, Japan's Isao Aoki and South African John Bland amongst the favourites. But Pierse has the game, and the guts, to take on the big guns.

Last month he showed that he has courage in spades when he defied all the odds to pre-qualify for the US Senior Open, beating 46 hardened professionals to clinch one of just six places in the championship proper. One his return visit he played well, making the cut with ease to finish in 55th position, two shots better than South African legend Gary Player.

"It was a fantastic experience with huge crowds every day and great organisation. I was delighted to make the cut because it is such a difficult championship to play in and it has such a great field. "My 13 year-old son Arthur Jnr came with me and Nicklaus and Watson and the others in the locker room made a real fuss of him and that made it even more special," he said.

For most of the millionaire field, the cost of playing at Salem was negligible, but garage owner Pierse had to make two expensive trips across the Atlantic to achieve his dream of rubbing shoulders with greats like Hale Irwin, Tom Watson and Tom Kite.

A third round 76, that included 40 putts, dashed Pierse's hopes of a higher finish. But he now knows that he has what it takes to make it amongst golf's elder statesmen.

"I couldn't sleep the night before the third round, which was strange for me and maybe that's why my concentration wasn't good on the greens. But it's just marvellous to get to play with these guys and I'd love to get the chance to go back out there."

A mean operator off a plus one handicap, Pierse played international golf for Ireland from 1976 to 1987, winning the East (1979), West (1980, 82) and North of Ireland titles (1987) in a glorious amateur career.

The highlight came in 1982 when he was called up to the prestigious four-man Eisenhower Trophy team and the following season he went on to win Walker Cup honours at Hoylake although the USA eventually came out on top by 13 1/2 points to 10 1/2.

Said Pierse: "When your 50 you can still play amateur golf and compete with the young guys but you know you haven't go the fitness and the power to win titles. Maybe you can reach the third or fourth round, but playing 36 holes in a day is not an option against super fit young fellas that are full time amateurs."

One of just six over season players to play all four rounds in Salem ­ the others were class acts Player, Aoki, Wayne McDonald, Hugh Baoicchi, Graham Marsh ­ Pierse feels his future lies on the US Senior Tour rather than its European equivalent.

"Without running down the European Seniors Tour I have to say that the rewards in America would make it a far more viable. Giving up work 18 weeks of the year would be difficult but if I can make the Senior British Open and do well then I'll look seriously at qualifying for the US Senior Tour or the European Seniors Tour."

Inspired by former Ireland team-mate O'Sullivan, twice a winner on the European Seniors Tour this season, Pierse knows he has the game to compete with the best. He said: "Denis has had a fantastic career. Full credit to him, he's obviously put a lot of work into it and it's really encouraging to see him doing so well. I've had a chat with him and I know it's tough going out on tour.

"But I wouldn't be doing it just for the money. There's a lot camaraderie out there too that has been lost on the amateur scene and it's just nice to know that there's somewhere you can still take your game.

"Twenty years ago we really did play for fun and enjoyment. You even put your hand in your own pocket when you played for Munster and you had to buy all your own equipment, unlike today where the top players are full time amateurs."

If Pierse gets his way, this old golfer won't just fade away. He'll carve out a place for himself on the great US Seniors tour.

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Golf shorts

Major changes have been made to Lahinch for next weekend's Shell South of Ireland championship.

The 10th, 14th and 15th holes have been altered but the famous Lahinch goats won't be there to inspect them ­ victims of the recent foot and mouth epidemic!

The four goats ­ owned by a local caddy - were a local barometer for many years. If they were seen heading for shelter, bad weather was on the way.

If the weather was set for improvement, they would be at the far reaches of the links. Once, when the clubhouse barometer was out of order, the club secretary posted a notice saying 'See goats'.

Promoted to the club crest, they will be missed by regular visitors to the great West Clare course.

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Senior star Denis O'Sullivan is putting like dream again­ thanks to a book he bought on the Internet.

The Corkman ordered a copy of "See It and Sink It" by American doctor Craig Farnsworth and romped to his fourth seniors tour win with a final round 65 in the STC Scandinavian International in Stockholm.

He explained: "The postage cost more than the book but it helped my putting no end.

"I had been very in and out on the greens but it all clicked into place after reading this book. I learned a lot. "About 80 percent of us aim left or right and only a few people aim dead straight on putts. I was a little open so I got squarer to the ball and it's coming off the putter very nicely now."

Here's hoping he can produce that kind of form on the billiard table greens of Royal County Down for next week's Senior British Open.

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Get your clubs out. Next Saturday must rank as the busiest day in Irish golf in years. Apart from the third round of the Senior British Open, it also sees the start of the Irish Ladies' Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship at Birr and the South of Ireland championship at Lahinch.

And after the annual British Open championship television feast, your local course is bound to see an increase in traffic too.

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Walker Cup debutants Graeme McDowell and Michael Hoey better think twice before the turn professional. While Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley are making great strides, it's been tough for former Walker Cup players Gordon Sherry (1995) and Paddy Gribben (1998).

While the Scot is 199th in the Challenge Tour Order of Merit, he is at least one place ahead of the Ulsterman.

With just over £1,000 in prize-money between them the £600-a-week tour is proving to be very expensive.

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© Brian Keogh 2001

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