Malaysia carded a bogey-free 63 to set the clubhouse target on day one of the ISPS HANDA Melbourne World Cup of Golf.
Gavin Green arrived at The Metropolitan Golf Club fresh off finishing 84th on the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex in his rookie European Tour season.
He teamed up with Ben Leong on the Sandbelt and the pair made two eagles and five birdies to lead the way from Italians Andrea Pavan and Renato Paratore, Irish pair Shane Lowry and Paul Dunne, and Venezuelans Jhonattan Vegas and Joseph Naffah.
Finland, France, Sweden, New Zealand and South Korea were then at six under in the opening fourballs.
A win for Malaysia would make them the fourth Asian winners of this event after two wins for Japan and one for Taiwan.
Green and Leong made a slow start with five opening pars but they birdied the sixth and Green eagled the seventh from five feet before Leong holed a 15-footer for eagle on the ninth.
Another gain on the tenth then moved them to six under and they were in a three-way tie for the lead.
Back-to-back birdies on the 13th and 14th then moved them two shots ahead but Ireland cut the gap to one with the help of fast start.
They birdied the second, third, fourth, sixth, seventh and ninth to turn in 30 and added another gain on the 13th in their first 15 holes.
Vegas and Naffah then joined them a shot off the lead after turning in 31, with a Vegas eagle from five feet on the ninth adding to birdies on the fourth, fifth and seventh. Further gains followed on the 11th and 13th but they were soon two behind.
Green put his approach to the last to eight feet for a closing birdie and the Malaysian pair were nine under.
The Italians were a picture of conistency as they moved within two of the lead with one to play, making a hat-trick of birdies from the third and adding further gains on the seventh, ninth, 13th and 17th.
Mikko Korhonen and Mikko Ilonen bogeyed the second but then made five birdies in a row to fly up the leaderboard and an eagle on the par-five ninth after Korhonen holed a bunker shot had them level at the turn with Malaysia. They got within one with a birdie at the 13th but gave the shot back on the 15th.
Alexander Levy and Mike Lorenzo-Vera were bogey-free through 15 holes, while Alexander Björk and Joakim Lagergren had two to play.
