The 14th Open Championship: Rory McIlroy at Royal Troon

Rory McIlroy was in confident mood after shooting two under par in his first round at The Open, claiming his game was in the right place to put his name on Claret Jug once more.

The Northern Irishman – who won the tournament in 2014, but was injured for last year's edition at St Andrews – capitalised on Thursday's favourable conditions to put himself in contention.

Seeking a fifth major crown, the 27-year-old revealed he had made some adjustments to his technique and felt they were paying dividends at Royal Troon as he finished his round sitting three shots adrift of clubhouse leader Patrick Reed.

"I feel like I hit a lot of good shots out there," he said. "I drove the ball pretty well. I sort of steered it a little bit the first few holes and that's why I missed fairways.

"Once I got into my rhythm, I started to hit good shots. I think technique-wise my swing might not be exactly where I wanted, but it's definitely good enough this week to contend and have a chance to win."

McIlroy was four under at the turn, but the back nine is proving far more testing, with conditions set to change from Thursday's sunny skies and low winds to rain and strong gusts for the second round.

"I think if I would've stepped on the first tee and someone would have given me a 69, I probably would have taken it," he added. "But if somebody had given me that score on the 10th, I probably wouldn't have.

"I knew today was a day where you had to make the most of the conditions because I don't think we're going to see the course like this for the rest of the week. I think the elements are going to be a bit of a challenge.

"But it's the Open Championship and you know coming in here you're going to have to battle the elements somewhat."