Reports: Matthew Fitzpatrick's golf ball stolen during round one of BMW PGA Championship

England's Matthew Fitzpatrick claimed his golf ball was stolen by two 'little thieves' during the opening round of the BMW PGA Championship. 

Fitzpatrick and several of his European Ryder Cup team-mates started the DP World Tour's flagship event well at Wentworth. 

The 2022 US Open champion carded an opening 6-under 66 on the West Course to trail early leaders Ludvig Aberg and Tom Vaillant by two strokes. 

Viktor Hovland, Justin Rose and Shane Lowry are also inside the top-10 after 18 holes. 

Masters champion Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, Tyrell Hatton and Jon Rahm also broke par but are further down the leaderboard. 

Tommy Fleetwood and Rasmus Hojgaard were among those who struggled, the latter finding an unlikely eagle at the last to turn a dreadful day into an average one.

Hojgaard thinned his greenside chip and looked destined to make a par or worse, but his ball clattered into the flagstick and dropped for a three. He sank to the ground in fits of laughter. 

The young Dane is the only rookie in Luke Donald's Ryder Cup squad who will be heading to Bethpage Black in two weeks' time. 

The US Ryder Cup team are using the Procore Championship in Napa as their tune-up. 

Play in round one was halted for 90 minutes due to lightning in the area. The hooter blew as Fitzpatrick was playing his 18th hole.  

Fitzpatrick told Telegraph Sport: "Dan [Parratt, his caddie] made a smart point – 'What happens if someone goes sniffing around in the bushes and finds your ball, and decides to pocket it?

"So we called over a referee and explained the situation, and asked whether we should look for the ball then, rather than risk it being taken.

"He took us over to where we reckoned my ball would have landed, and a few people there said they'd seen two young boys dive into the bushes, and come out grinning with a ball. 

"So we decided the balance of probability was that it was my ball, and that I would take a drop in that spot when we got back.

"I made a bogey six, but if we'd had to find it, we probably wouldn’'t have. 

"I'd then have had to play my provisional ball and it would likely have been worse. So, all in all, it was a good result."

Fitzpatrick joked it would have been better had the two youngsters chucked his golf ball back into the fairway. 

"But still, those two little thieves probably saved me a shot."

Round one will be completed tomorrow from 6.40am. Second-round tee times remain unaffected.