Thorbjørn Olesen hailed Denmark team-mate Søren Kjeldsen after the defending champions finished day one of the ISPS HANDA Melbourne World Cup of Golf just one shot off the lead.
Olesen has become something of a team-play specialist in recent seasons, following his win in this event in 2016 with a GolfSixes triumph alongside Lucas Bjerregaard in 2017 and a Ryder Cup win at Le Golf National in September.
The Italian Open champion admitted he was not at his best as he and Kjeldsen carded a 63 in the fourballs at The Metropolitan Golf Club, but his team-mate picked up the slack as the duo look to become the first pairing to successfully defend the title since Fred Couples and Davis Love III won four in row between 1992 and 1995.
"I love this golf course," he said. "I didn't have my best today but Søren played steadily and I stepped in at the right times. I think nine under was a good score with the way we played.
"The golf course is playing great. It was a bit tricky with the wind out there but we managed to do all right with it. It was a good time."
Kjeldsen added: "I played well, seemed to make a lot of birdies. I was generally in nice control over the game and when I had a little quiet hole Thorbjørn was right there and vice versa. It worked out well.
"That was how we did it two years ago. I think it's nice for me to get on the tee first and I can hit my little drive out there and he can step up and smash it."
The Belgian pair of Thomas Detry and Thomas Pieters were also at nine under after going bogey-free and making hat-tricks of birdies from the seventh, 12th and 16th.
The duo are great friends off the course and were enjoying having the chance to play together.
"It helps all the time," said Pieters. "You don't even have to give advice to him, we just know. One goes for it or one puts it on the green, one goes for it and it doesn't need to be said, so that's nice."
Detry added: "He's good off the bunkers and it puts the pressure off me. He hits it in the bunker, you know he's going to get it up and down and maybe hole it. Things like that change the mindset."
