By Tony Jimenez
VIRGINIA WATER, England (Reuters) - European Tour rookie David Horsey made a dynamic PGA Championship debut on Thursday, shooting a five-under-par 67 to share the early first-round lead with fellow Briton Anthony Wall.
Charl Schwartzel of South Africa, Britain's Ross Fisher and Swede Niclas Fasth were one stroke off the pace on a calm, sunny day at the 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 Englishman told reporters. "She's got, I think, three weeks of radiotherapy coming up now and hopefully that will be it.
"She won't get the all-clear until three or four years down the line. 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's been tough," he said. "It has always been at the back of my mind.
"My mum has been very strong through it so she's helped me in that respect. 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."
EARLY RISER
Horsey, who finished joint second at the Malaysian Open in February, was the first player to tee off on Thursday and had to rise at 5 a.m. to prepare for his 7 a.m. 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.
"That probably comes from age. You learn to enjoy that and use that encouragement as a help rather than a hindrance."
World number four Henrik Stenson of Sweden ballooned to a six-over 78. South Africa's Ernie Els returned a 73 but British pair Paul Casey and Colin Montgomerie went round in 69.
(Editing by Clare Fallon)