Pearson won the Florida State Amateur in 1978 and 1980.

He attended the University of Florida where he won the Southeastern Conference (SEC) individual title in 1980 and was voted 1980 SEC player of the year.

Pearson joined the PGA Tour in 1982 and played until the following year.

He played on the Nationwide Tour until 1995 and picked up two more victories, the 1992 Ben Hogan Tri-Cities Open and the 1994 Nike Central Georgia Open.

Nike Tour playoff record (1–1) CUT = missed the half-way cut Note: Pearson only played in the U.S. Open.