SHANGHAI — Rory McIlroy found himself in a spot that must have seemed vaguely familiar Thursday in the HSBC Champions.

He was in the lead.

McIlroy looked more like a two-time major champion than someone who hasn’t won all year. He rarely had any stress and opened with a 7-under 65, building a two-shot lead after one round of this World Golf Championship.

“It felt good to be out there and in control of my golf ball,” McIlroy said.

Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, coming off a win last week in the BMW Masters across town, and Jamie Donaldson each had 67.