Rory McIlroy admitted to being "a little bit disappointed" after an opening round of 70 in the Masters at Augusta.
The world No 3 was four under going into the final three holes but bogeys on the 16th and the last saw him slip back to two under, four off leader Jordan Spieth.
However, despite some frustration at how he finished the round, McIlroy insisted that he feels in a good position to post a better score in his second round.
"It would've been nice to get it in at four under but saying that, standing on the first tee this afternoon, I probably would've taken a 70," the Northern Irishman told Sky Sports.
"It was tricky out there, it was tough conditions. There were some holes where you just had to make a par and move on, there were others you could take advantage of but I'm a little bit disappointed with 70.
"It probably could've been better but I can go out there tomorrow [Friday] and know that I can be aggressive on some holes.
"I think the wind is going to be pretty much from the same direction so at least I know how the course is going to play and hopefully I can shoot a few better tomorrow."
Asked if Spieth's round of 66 affected how he approached his own round, McIlroy maintained that he was simply focused on his own game.
"Not really, I think if anything the breeze did freshen this afternoon and I couldn't look at that, I didn't need to look at it, I needed to just take care of myself," he added.
"This course is hard enough when you're just looking after yourself, let alone when you're thinking of other people so I was just trying to concentrate and shoot the best score I could.
"That added up to a 70 today but I've seen the golf course now, I've got a feel of how it's playing and I feel like tomorrow I can improve on that."
The 26-year-old was pleased with how he played the par fives and believes similar showings over the next three days will keep him in contention.
"I think I played the par fives here last year in 14 under and I've played them today in four," said McIlroy.
"If you can do that around this golf course then you're never going to be far away so hopefully I can continue to do that - pick up a few birdies here and there on the par threes and par fours."
Early progress
Shane Lowry, meanwhile, is tied for second with New Zealander Danny Lee after making a flying start to go four under after five holes.
"I was just trying to keep it going as long as I could," said the Irishman. "I started off nicely and I holed a 12-footer on the first for par and that settled me down and got me going.
"I hit it in tight and then holed a couple of 15 or 20-footers and then I was off and running. I played really well today and I'm pretty happy with where I sitting.
"It was quite difficult today and any birdie you could get was tough work. Par was a good score and I was lucky, I made a few putts, but coming in I felt I missed a few chances - 15, 17 and then I burned the edge there on 18. But if you had given me this at the start of the day I would've taken your hand off."