By the time he was 12, he was shooting in the 60s and was featured as a child prodigy in Professional Golfer Magazine.

As an amateur, Pearce won the Florida Boys Junior Championship for his age division in three straight years (1964–1966).

Junior Amateur,[1] the Florida Open in 1970 and was awarded a golf scholarship to Wake Forest University.

Amateur when Gary Cowan holed a long iron shot from the rough for an eagle and the win.

[3] He left after his sophomore year and turned pro, with many experts calling him the "next Jack Nicklaus."