Andrew Oldcorn managed it.

So too did Scott Drummond. So what are the chances of Scott Henry adding to Scotland's list of surprise winners of the BMW PGA Championship? Let's not get too carried away, of course. This was just the first round of four but with everybody immersed in the words of Sergio Garcia and George O'Grady in the ongoing racial rumpus off the course, Henry, the European Tour rookie from Clydebank, let his clubs do the talking on Wentworth's West course as he made a sparkling debut in the circuit's flagship event.

Hats, gloves and thermals were very much in evidence down south but Henry got the temperatures rising with a neatly assembled four-under-par 68 which left him tied third, just two shots behind South Africa's early pacesetter, James Kingston, who birdied four of his last seven holes in a 66 to lead by one from Finland's Mikko Ilonen. The underdogs showed their bite while the top dogs looked timorous. Luke Donald, aiming for his third successive PGA win, slumped to a 78 while Justin Rose, joint runner-up a year ago, limped in with a 6 on the 17th and a 7 on the 18th for a 72. Rory McIlroy, the world No.2, also endured a torrid time of it and leaked five shots over the closing six holes on his way to a 74.

Henry, meanwhile, harnessed the testing conditions with a mightily impressive, confident and composed performance. In terms of grabbing an opportunity with both hands, you won't get a better example. The 26-year-old was originally a reserve for the £4m championship and only found out he had gained a place in the starting field when he boarded a plane on his way home from last week's Madeira Islands Open on Monday. Yesterday, he took full advantage of the bonus addition to his schedule and, despite opening with a nervy bogey on the first, a raking putt of 45 feet on the second kickstarted the salvage operation. He notched an eagle on the fourth to bolster his clamber up the order and further birdies at eight, 12 and 16 took him into the rarefied air of the leading pack.

Back in 2004 and 2005, Henry was the dominant force of junior amateur golf in his homeland, with a brace of Scottish Boys' Championship wins as well as an under-18s strokeplay title. Since turning pro in 2008, Henry has worked and won on the Alps Tour and the Challenge Tour to climb up the ladder but he maintains that those teenage kicks he gained in his formative years still give him plenty of inspiration in his current quests.

"These are the days you dream of," said Henry, who has missed the cut in eight of his first 12 events on the main circuit this year. "I've always been the kind of guy who likes playing well down the stretch in tournaments. These are the guys I want to be mixing with, and I want to compete and hopefully win as well. Nothing gives you more confidence than a win and it doesn't matter what kind of event it comes in."

It had been something of a relief to actually report on some golf instead of high profile gaffs but there was no escaping 'Garcia-gate' as the clock ticked down to the Spaniard's lunchtime start. The 33-year-old had issued a grovelling apology to Tiger Woods for his reference to fried chicken and the reaction from the Wentworth galleries seemed to indicate that all is forgiven, in their eyes at least. Garcia was cheered heartily on to the first tee and, a few hours later, he was cheered robustly off the 18th green after trundling in a 25-foot eagle-putt on the last in a level-par 72.

"It was great, amazing," said the Ryder Cup player about his reception. "I've always been very fortunate with fans all over the world and I'm very thankful for it. It's been a rough week but I felt the warmth of the people."

As the circus followed Garcia, there were plenty of little sideshows and, as the light faded and play went on following an earlier weather delay, Marc Warren was roaming in the gloaming and ended up handily placed in the top 10 after a 69.

The aformentioned Drummond, PGA champion in 2004, finished a stroke further back on 70 while Paul Lawrie, battling with a wayward driver and playing with the irons that will soon belong to a certain Sir Alex Ferguson, had to settle for a 75.

Lawrie, joint runner-up in this event a year ago, revealed that the recently retired Sir Alex had bought the clubs the former Open champion used during his Ryder Cup heroics at Medinah last September for £5000.

"It's very nice of him and if it raises money for my Foundation and the kids from north-east Scotland, then I'm happy to sell," said Lawrie. "Even the Wilson wedge I used for the chip-in at Medinah will be in the set."

One club that will certainly be missing from the collection will be the driver. "I just drove the ball terribly, one of the worst displays for a long time" added Lawrie with a glower, as he gave the said club the Ferguson-style hairdryer treatment.