Forty-three years after his father Joey claimed his first Irish cap with masterful performance in the Interprovincial matches, 19-year old Conor Purcell claimed what he hopes will be “the first of many” trophies by claiming the South of Ireland Amateur Open Championship at Lahinch.

The compact but athletically built son of Portmarnock’s head professional is only making his debut in senior golf this year. But he has made his mark in double quick time, producing a string of high quality displays en route to a 4 and 3 victory over Hermitage international Rowan Lester and what must be a certain call up for next month’s Home Internationals.

Purcell had not had to go beyond the 17th in his opening four matches but when he came back from one down with three to play to beat Irish Amateur Open champion Colm Campbell by one hole - his spectacular two at the 16th and brilliant hold up approach to the 17th were key shots - it was clear that he was going to take some shifting

The equally compact and athletic Lester, 20, looked to be heading out to Castle’s Daniel Holland in the semi-finals but he took the match to the 19th where he holed an unlikely, downwind 20 footer from the swale left of the green for a winning birdie three.

In the final, played in a steady 25 mph west wind that gusted well over 30mph at times, it was Purcell’s superior ball-striking that eventually won the day and a quality championship against a talented opponent in front of a good crowd.

After halves in bogey at the first and birdie at the second, Purcell got up and down from short of the third to win the hole in par after Lester had tangled with the right rough off the tee.

The Dubliner, who didn’t touch a club in the month before his Leaving Certificate, then eagled the Klondyke with a short iron to 12 feet to go two up.

He looked to be cruising but three bogeys in a row saw him pegged back to all square before he hit what was arguably the match winning shot at the 166-yard eighth.

With the wind whipping hard from the left, he drew a magnificent eight iron, arrow-straight at the pin and popped in the four foot for birdie to go one up.

When he birdied the ninth from 10 feet to go two up and then rattled the pin with his chip at the 10th to save bogey, Lester failed to claw back a hole there and lost the par-three 11th to a stellar Purcell par and the downwind 12th to a two-putt birdie four to find himself four down.

Two solid par fours were enough to close out a convincing victory for a youngster who appeared destined to be a tennis player until he injured his wrist, picked up a golf club at Portmarnock and never looked back.

Reminded that his father won five and a half points out six at Lahinch in 1973 to secure his international call up that year, Purcell Jnr said: “Well, I felt I needed to make a statement this week to put my name in the hat for home internationals. We will see what happens now. We won’t tempt fate, but we hope so.”

The teenager, the youngest winner of the “South” since 18 year old Cian McNamara in 2004, is preparing to head to the University of North Carolina in Charlotte on a golf scholarship next month and insists he will “stick out” his four-year apprenticeship there before thinking about professional golf.

As for his win and his general level of confidence, he said: “Confident? I am very confident. I feel I have a good bit of experience with boys golf. Hopefully this is the first of many [wins].”

South of Ireland Amateur Open, sponsored by Pierse Motors Volkswagen, Lahinch GC

Semi-finals: Rowan Lester (Hermitage) bt Daniel Holland (Castle) 19th; Conor Purcell (Portmarnock) bt Colm Campbell Jnr (Warrenpoint) 1 hole.

Final: Purcell beat Lester 4 and 3.