Victor Dubuisson admitted it was a dream come true to play alongside Romain Langasque after an opening 70 left the duo just a single shot off the lead at the ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf.
The World Cup returned to the schedule for the first time in three years and Dubuisson and Langasque were playing together for the first time after Grégory Bourdy represented France alongside Dubuisson in 2013.
They dovetailed beautifully in the foursomes on the front nine, with two brilliant approaches from the 2016 Challenge Tour graduate setting up birdies and when another followed on the tenth, they had the lead.
Bogeys would follow on the 11th and 12th before another gain on the 15th, and Dubuisson was delighted to be teeing it up alongside his friend in tricky conditions at Kingston Heath Golf Club.
"It was really relaxed on the course," he said. "We are very good friends and for us to play together here, it's like a dream from back when we were children. So I'm very happy with our score today because it was really tough. For the first rounds together, it's great."
Play shifts to fourballs on Friday but Langasque will not be altering his approach.
"I think the strategy would be the same for me and I would try to stay on the fairway," he said. "I think the key will be just stay focused like today, enjoy the round and the moment even if we make some bogeys."
For us to play together here, it's like a dream from back when we were children - Victor Dubuisson
Wu Ashun was, like Dubuisson, playing in his second World Cup and he and Li Haotong recorded a 70 sit alongside the French duo, a shot behind leaders Spain.
The pair recorded two birdies in their last three holes to move up the leaderboard and Wu was happy with their day's work.
"It was very good today and my partner played very well and we made a lot of birdies," he said. "It's very exciting to play in Melbourne. It's my second time playing the World Cup so I'm very excited to play with Li and it was very good today."
Chris Wood and Andy Sullivan fired a 71 for England despite the latter feeling under the weather, and Wood is looking forward to the freedom of the fourballs.
"It's a great format," he said. "It's enjoyable for us to play together. Switch it out, foursomes and fourballs. Get together as a team and as a nation.
"I'm really looking forward to tomorrow. Tomorrow's a day where you can go low and foursomes are the key days to keep yourself in the tournament."
The Italian team of Francesco Molinari and Matteo Manassero also fired a 71 with a triple-bogey on the 12th and Molinari was left wondering what might have been.
"It could have easily been a round of three or four under par," he said. "But we need to focus on the good stuff. We made a few birdies, a lot of good up-and-downs, a lot of solid play, fairways and greens. Tomorrow we can be a bit more aggressive and then Saturday I think we need to play exactly like we did today."
