Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy well placed after opening rounds of 68 and 69 respectively at the K Club

Shane Lowry shot an opening round of 68 that currently leaves him two shots behind clubhouse leaders Jordan Smith, Thomas Bjorn and Ross Fisher at the Horizon Irish Open, with Rory McIlroy a shot further back at the K Club.

Lowry, looking to improve his form ahead of his appearance at the Ryder Cup in three weeks' time, began with three birdies over the first four holes. He picked up another shot on eight but that was sandwiched between bogeys on seven and nine.

Coming home, the Offalyman was in the red on ten, 13 and 15, but handed one back on 14 to finish four under as he seeks to win a second Irish Open following his success as an amateur in 2009.

A relaxed Shane Lowry chats after his promising opening round at the Horizon Irish Open, live now on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player. pic.twitter.com/1NM4gHcO4r

For McIlroy, the winner at this venue in 2016, a birdie at the last saw him post a three-under round of 69, that also contained four other birdies and two dropped shots.

Of the other Irish competing, John Murphy shot a 73 to lie at one-over par. Alex Maguire, Conor Purcell, Jonathan Caldwell, Mark Power, Padraig Harrington and Tom McKibbin are the other home-based competitors in the field at the Co Kildare venue.

The joint-leaders, Englishmen Smith and Fisher, and former Ryder Cup captain Bjorn, shot rounds of 66.

Reflecting on his round, Lowry told RTÉ that he was happy despite the final-hole blemish.

"I felt like I might have been one or two better but I'm pretty happy with how I went," he said.

"This golf course is playing pretty difficult this week and the greens are quite firm out there this morning, so I was pretty happy.

"Disappointed to bogey the last, you're always disappointed to bogey the last, but I hit the ball as well as