Bob MacIntyre believes his opening round of 67 was nigh-on perfect after making a flying start to The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

MacIntyre fired four birdies and only one solitary bogey to sit on three under par after the first day’s play, two shots behind surprise leader Jackson Suber.

Two of those birdies came on his first two holes as the 29-year-old Scot came flying out the traps on what was his first ever competitive round at Birkdale.

MacIntyre is firmly in the hunt as he seeks to win his first major thanks to an opening round that was built on discipline and patience.

‘It’s exactly what I wanted,’ said MacIntyre. ‘Exactly the start that I felt I needed to get right into the golf tournament.

‘There’s not much I would have changed. Obviously, there were a few putts I hoped would go in that didn’t, but yeah, it was a solid start.

‘It was a perfect start with the birdies on the first two holes. It was a nice tee shot down the 1st that caught the left edge of the fairway, a great second shot, and a lovely putt.

‘I played really well. A couple of putts I don’t know how I missed, but other than that, I felt like it was almost a perfect round of golf with the great scramble at the last for par.’

MacIntyre has been fighting his own demons for much of the season and has often cut an irascible figure. But he kept his cool on the sun-scorched links at Birkdale — and insisted he is relishing the fight over the next three days.

‘I enjoy it when I’ve got a fight,’ he said. ‘I’m not just fighting the golf course, I’m fighting myself, I’m fighting with Mike [his caddie]. Yeah, it’s a real grind.

‘It’s one of the hardest links courses I’ve ever played just for the sheer fact of the positions of the pot bunkers on certain holes with the length of the hole.

‘Someone is going to stand up there and smash driver on the golf course and could potentially get away with it, but it could switch the other way.

‘It’s the same for me. I could go play and play the same way I did and make three bogeys on the long holes.

‘I’m having to hit a longer club in because I’m trying to stay out of the pot bunkers. It’s part of the game. I’m just playing it my way and did a decent job today.’