Ireland’s Walker Cup hero Jack Hume made a solid if unspectacular start to his bid for glory in the US Amateur Championship in Michigan yesterday.

The 22-year-old South African Amateur Open stroke-play champion from Naas fired a two-over-par 72 at Oakland Hills. That score keeps him in with a chance of grabbing a spot in the knock-out stages.

The Irish Open Amateur Championship runner-up, who took the individual honours in the Nations Cup earlier this year, will need a good performance today to make sure of making the last 64.

Starting at the 10th Hume dropped a stroke at his opening hole but made amends with a birdie three at the 453-yard 11th. However, a couple of bogeys followed before he birdied the short 17th on his way to a 36 on his first nine.

Hume hit a superb shot on to the green at the 431-yard first but dropped a stroke at the second, arguably the most difficult par-five hole on the course.

Then after a succession of pars he failed to make par at the 216-yard ninth, a difficult par three.

While Hume was solid he is still a long way adrift of the early pacemaker, Sweden’s Robin Peterson, who carded a five-under-par 65.

Meanwhile, the Golfing Union of Ireland confirmed this year’s six-man Ireland team for the European Men’s Seniors’ Championship. Jim Carvill is a new addition to the side, which won last year in Bulgaria. Carvill joins Tom Cleary, Maurice Kelly, Garth McGimpsey, Adrian Morrow and Arthur Pierse for the trip to Ljubljana.

Ireland will be chasing their fourth successive win in 2016, having completed a hat-trick in 2015.