Major champions Adam Scott and Hannah Green were among the heavyweights out on Thursday morning as men's and women's players share the fairways at a national championship for the first time anywhere in the world.
Green made a dream start, making birdies on the first two holes of her opening round at Kingston Heath to grab the early lead in the women's championship at two-under par.
Golf fans can have the best of both worlds on day one after officials split the big guns up into a series of morning and afternoon groups across Kingston Heath and the Victoria Golf Club, which is co-hosting the first Open since 2019.
Green teed off at 7am (AEDT) at Kingston Heath with Xiyu Lin and Korea's former world No.1 Jiyai Shin.
Scott is in the men's group behind with fellow PGA Tour star Cam Davis and You Tube sensation Harrison Crowe.
Tournament favourites Cameron Smith and Minjee Lee are among a raft of stars featuring in first-round afternoon action at Victoria, 5km away on Melbourne's beautiful sandbelt stretch.
Smith will open his bid for a sixth victory of a stellar year, chasing an Australian PGA-Australian Open title double, at 12.05pm with defending champion Matt Jones and European Tour ace Adrian Meronk from Poland.
Lee will follow in the next group with compatriot Steph Kyriacou and Chevron Championship winner Jennifer Kupcho.
In the space of 45 action-packed minutes, Marc Leishman, Lee's brother Min Woo, in-form Kiwi Ryan Fox and seven-times major champion Karrie Webb also hit off at Victoria GC in the world's first national championship featuring men's and women's events.
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