Horsey shares lead at Wentworth

Rookie David Horsey made a dynamic PGA Championship debut with a five-under 67 earning a tie for the first-round lead with fellow Englishman Anthony Wall and Spain's Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano on Thursday.

Holder Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain, South African Charl Schwartzel, Swede Niclas Fasth and English duo Ross Fisher and Barry Lane were one stroke off the pace on a calm, sunny day at the European Tour's flagship event at Wentworth.

The day after it was disclosed that world number two Phil Mickelson's wife Amy has breast cancer, Horsey sported a pink bracelet on his wrist after his mother Anne was diagnosed with the same condition last year.

‘My mum had her last chemotherapy yesterday,’ the 24-year-old told reporters. ‘Hopefully, she will recover and will be feeling well again by the end of the year.

Horsey, who won last year's second-tier Challenge Tour, said he sometimes found it difficult to concentrate on his golf.

‘It has always been at the back of my mind,’ he said. ‘I try hard not to think about it when I'm playing and what she would want from me is to go and keep playing.’

Horsey, joint second at the Malaysian Open in February, was the first player to tee off on Thursday and had to rise at 5am to prepare for his 7am start.

He dropped only one stroke all day and ended his round with a flourish thanks to a birdie hat-trick.

Englishman Wall, 33, matched Horsey's four-under inward half of 33 to join him at the top of the leaderboard.

Wall said he had benefited from being one of the early starters.

‘My iron play was good today,’ said the 2000 Alfred Dunhill champion. ‘The greens were very good this morning so if you hit good shots, you could be rewarded.’

Wall, from nearby Camberley, was well supported by a group of 40 family and friends.

‘Over the years I have found that difficult but this year I actually enjoyed the support,’ he said.

Fernandez-Castano was among the late starters and soared into contention with a birdie-four at the 17th and an eagle three at the last.

The 28-year-old Spaniard, a four-time tour winner, has had three second-place finishes this year without breaking through for a victory.

Play slowed up as the day went on and Fernandez-Castano's three-man group took nearly 5-1/2 hours to get round.

‘The course was playing tougher than previous years and that's what made it longer,’ he said.

‘But if I am going to shoot 67 every day playing five hours 20 minutes, I'll take it.’

Europe's Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie matched Fernandez-Castano's birdie-eagle finale to boost his hopes of a record-equalling fourth PGA Championship title with a 69, the same score as fellow Briton and world number seven Paul Casey.

South African Ernie Els and American John Daly went round in 73, US Masters champion Angel Cabrera returned a 74 while world number four Henrik Stenson ballooned to a 78.