Rory McIlroy feels any player who makes the cut at the PGA Championship will feel they have a great chance of winning the tournament.

After a poor opening round, McIlroy bounced back with a bogey-free 67 at Aronimink Golf Club, where the leaderboard is congested.

American duo Alex Smalley and Maverick McNealy lead the way in Pennsylvania on four under, as Scottie Scheffler failed to build on his fine start.

Reigning champion Scheffler carded a one-over-par 71, falling two shots behind the leaders.

McIlroy, though, was much happier with his round, and feels he is right in the mix for another major crown.

"I just needed to find the feeling with the driver. I feel like a lot of the bogeys I made yesterday were from hitting it into the rough from wayward drives," McIlroy told ESPN.

"I was able to give myself opportunities to make birdies and also limit the mistakes and not have any bogeys on the card.

"It was a day just to get back into the tournament, and I feel like that's what I was able to do.

"It's a really bunched leaderboard because I think guys are finding it difficult to make putts out there.

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"Anyone who makes the cut tonight has got to feel like they're right in this.

"It looks like the conditions are going to be a bit more favourable [on Saturday] and Sunday, and that enables you then to play more aggressive, try to fire at some more pins."

McIlroy quipped to reporters that his first round had been "s***", but his second round was "not as s***".

Scheffler bogeyed three of his opening four holes, and he was not happy with the pin locations.

"This is the hardest set of pin locations that I've seen since I've been on tour, and that includes US Opens, that includes Oakmont," Scheffler said.

"It's difficult to hole putts, especially when you have big slopes and wind and I think that's why you see the scores so close to par."

Jon Rahm, Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose, Shane Lowry and Brooks Koepka managed to make the cut, but Bryson DeChambeau, Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland and Keegan Bradley were among the big names to miss out.