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Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith swear Australia's hopes of World Cup glory aren't over having braved the worst conditions the pair have faced in a domestic tournament.

Strong winds and heavy rain wreaked havoc on the 28 two-man teams at Metropolitan Golf Club on Friday, but Leishman and Smith survived a horror start to the foursomes round and miraculously sit just four shots off the pace.

Belgium's Thomas Pieters and Thomas Detry fired a one-under-par 71 and at 10 under they are tied for the halfway lead at the $US7 million World Cup with Koreans Byeong Hun An and Si Woo Kim (72).

Italy (71) were among the only four teams to shoot under par on day two and they share third at eight under alongside side India (72), Malaysia (73) and England (74).

US PGA Tour star Smith said winds up to 40km/h and torrential rain combined for the worst weather he had experienced in a home event.

"The toughest conditions I've played in Australia, ever," he said.

Starting Friday in a share of the lead, Australia dropped three shots on the front nine before collapsing spectacularly with a double-bogey 6 at the par-4 10th.

Trying to save par from a greenside bunker, Leishman's shot fell back into the trap and when Smith hit to six feet, Leishman missed the bogey putt.

"I left one in a bunker which was not acceptable, you can't make those mistakes," Leishman said.

"The conditions were tough but I'm not making excuses - it was the same for everyone."

Australia fell seven shots off the pace with another bogey at the par-3 12th, but they rallied with three straight birdies from 14th to keep a sixth World Cup title within reach.

But Australia were not the only team to struggle.

Ryder Cup hero Ian Poulter and fellow Englishman Tyrrell Hatton battled to a 74 but remain well in the mix, two shots off the lead.

A frustrated Hatton, known for his explosive on-course temper, smashed a tee box marker at the 10th with his driver.

"The (tee markers) are very fragile, obviously that wasn't a great moment," Hatton said of the outburst.

"It was a reaction without thinking."

American drawcards Matt Kuchar and Kyle Stanley signed for a miserable 79 to plummet to one over, while Greece shot a 15-over 87.

Leishman said Saturday's four-ball (best ball) offers an opportunity for Australia to reduce their deficit with teams recording the best individual score on each hole.

"It's not over. We have two days to go and hopefully we can have a low one on Saturday," he said.

Mexico's Abraham Ancer is within striking distance of his second title on Australian soil after defying the foul weather in the second round at the World Cup of Golf in Melbourne.

In Sydney last week he became the first Mexican to win the Australian Open, streeting the field with a five-shot victory.

With the Metropolitan course lashed by rain, the title hopes of some pre-tournament favourites were washed away on Friday as the 28 teams played foursomes (alternate format).

Team USA Matt Kuchar and Kyle Stanley ended their round with five straight bogeys to post a miserable second round score of seven-over 79 to slide down the leaderboard and out of contention.

But world No.60 Ancer and his partner Roberto Diaz had a blemish free round until a frustrating bogey on the 18th, also collecting three birdies.

Ancer gave credit to Diaz, ranked 83, for his solid work off the tee.

"We did our jobs really well today," Ancer said.

"Roberto's been driving the ball phenomenally - he always does, but today was spot on."

Diaz said the team got off to a flying start early, nailing a birdie at par-three second which helped set up their impressive round.

"We started playing awesome in the front with Abraham hitting some great iron shots and I happened to make a couple birdie putts," Diaz said.

Despite the testing conditions, Ancer felt the sandbelt course helped their cause.

"I thought it was going to be probably unplayable and it was good," he said.

"There's a little bit of puddles here and there, but the fairways are phenomenal. The golf course can take a lot of rain."

West Australian Jason Scrivener took a share of the lead as the 2019 European Tour got underway on Thursday at the Hong Kong Open.

Scrivener was joined by England's Aaron Rai and Japan's Yusaku Miyazato at five-under 65 after the opening round at the Hong Kong Golf Club.

They were already 10 strokes ahead of Masters champion Patrick Reed, who made four bogeys and a double bogey in a 75 - a week after contending at the World Tour Championship in Dubai.

Tommy Fleetwood missed out on a second straight Race to Dubai title last week and he began his latest bid to become Europe's No. 1 by shooting 69.

Sergio Garcia shot 70.

Rai and Scrivener reached the turn at one-under, only to find some hot form with the putter in the back nine as they benefited from favourable afternoon conditions following a breezy start to the day.

An approach to within a few inches of the cup, setting up a tap-in eagle at No.13, was the highlight of Rai's round.

Scrivener picked up four shots in five holes from the 12th.

Ranked outside the world's top 2000, it's a surprise in more ways than one that Venezuela's Joseph Naffah is challenging for the World Cup of Golf in Melbourne.

The 35-year-old was a controversial selection for his country by their topliner, US PGA Tour star Jhonattan Vegas, who overlooked three higher-ranked players to choose Naffah.

Despite his lowly ranking the pair proved themselves on the Metropolitan course, shooting an opening round of seven-under 65 on Thursday.

The duo share a long history, becoming best friends as kids back in Venezuela through their love of golf.

They both won US college scholarships but Naffah's US PGA Tour dream was derailed when he suffered a serious back injury.

Trying to avoid surgery, alternative treatments left him with a serious infection.

Faced with the possibility he wouldn't walk again he had the same spinal fusion operation that saved Tiger Woods' career - but needed three of them.

"I had three of the Tiger fusions," Naffah explained.

"They put a cage through the front (of his abdomen) and six screws in the back."

While Vegas has gone on to win three US tour titles and bank more than $A10 million, Naffah has spent the last two years on the third-tier PGA Latino-America tour but hasn't made a cut in 12 attempts.

But Vegas wanted his friend to experience a tournament at the top so when his younger brother Julio, who partnered him in the 2016 World Cup, couldn't play he asked Naffah.

"Spending so much time away from the game and then trying to play again, it's really hard," Vegas said.

"But when the opportunity came, I wanted to inspire him to play harder so I told him, 'If you have some good events that you make a cut or play solid or something, I'll definitely take you'."

Naffah showed he wouldn't be a passenger at Metropolitan, nailing birdies at the fourth and fifth holes to pump up his team, with Vegas following up with an eagle at the ninth.

"I've played 12 events in Latin America and I didn't have one start like that, and I'm here on the PGA Tour and all of a sudden two birdies," Naffah said.

"Of course the rust is still there, but it's my first time here and it's not easy.

"My goal was always to play on the PGA Tour and I got lucky that my friend here picked me.

"It's just a gift to be here playing a World Cup event with him."

Cameron Smith says a friendly spray to teammate Marc Leishman got Australia's World Cup charge back on track as the tournament favourites secured a share of the lead on day one.

With forecasted wild weather failing to show up at Melbourne's Metropolitan Golf Club on Thursday, scores were hot in the opening round four-ball (best ball) format but Cup favourites Australia kept pace with a 10-under-par 62.

Australia joined England duo Tyrrell Hatton and Ian Poulter, as well as Koreans Byeong Hun An and Si Woo Kim, atop the leaderboard at the $US7 million ($A9.6 million) two-man teams event.

Defending champions Denmark (Thorbjorn Olesen and Soren Kjeldsen), Belgium (Thomas Pieters and Thomas Detry) and Malaysia (Gaving Green and Ben Leong) share fourth at nine under having each posted 63.

Cup debutant Smith carried Australia for the first four holes with a birdie and an eagle on his ball, with Leishman a slow starter.

"I gave 'Leish' a bit of an uppercut under the ribs after the fourth; I said, 'You can turn up anytime,'" Smith said.

Smith's light-hearted spray seemed to work wonders as the Cup's highest-ranked player Leishman stiffed his tee shot to tap-in distance for birdie at the par-3 sixth.

The world No.21 then contributed the team's next three birdies as Australia ignited a switch.

Leishman and Smith picked up three more shots coming home to lay a solid foundation for a run at a sixth World Cup title for Australia.

"When I was in trouble Cam played smart and he made great putts," Leishman said.

"Scores were pretty good today so I'm happy we're tied for the lead."

The 28 teams at the unofficial US PGA Tour event will now brace for the volatile foursomes format on Friday, which sees team partners hitting alternate shots using one ball.

Ryder Cup hero Poulter has a wealth of experience playing the alternate shot format for team Europe and says it can turn any teams event on its head.

"Yeah this tournament will be won and lost on Friday," Poulter said.

"Foursomes is the (format) where you can take yourself out of the tournament pretty quickly.

"Hopefully with Tyrrell and I playing it at the Ryder Cup a few weeks ago (in Paris) will help."

Meanwhile, American duo Matt Kuchar and Kyle Stanley, both multiple winners on the PGA Tour, struggled in the easier format - making a costly bogey along with five birdies and an eagle.

The Americans sit at six under alongside Finland, France, South Africa, Greece, Japan and China.

"It was a really slow and unfortunate back nine; six under has not hurt us but it has not helped us," Kuchar said.

In a positive development for Golf Australia, the 2019 Vic Open, which features both men and women playing simultaneously, will be co-sanctioned by the LPGA Tour.

The women's tournament is also jointly sanctioned by the ALPG (women's) while the PGA Tour of Australia aligned men's competition is now also part of the European Tour.

The Vic Open will be held at 13th Beach Golf Links west of Melbourne from February 7-10 and be followed by the women's Australian Open, which has been on the LPGA Tour for eight years, at The Grange Golf Club in Adelaide from February 14-17.

Golf Australia chief executive Stephen Pitt was thrilled with the expansion of the organisation's relationship with the LPGA.

"The LPGA Tour has been a great boon for the national championship and we are absolutely delighted the Vic Open will now be part of its worldwide schedule," he said.

The LPGA's chief tournament business officer Ricki Lasky was also delighted to extend the relationship.

"The Vic Open has established itself as a leader in sports equality and, as golf's global tour, we are greatly looking forward to being a part of this exciting week of competition, inspiration and camaraderie," she said.

Ian Poulter was so eager to contest a World Cup of Golf on Melbourne's iconic sand belt that he begged Tyrrell Hatton to pick him as his England teammate months ago.

Now the Ryder Cup great and countryman Hatton loom as the biggest threat to the favourites, Australian duo Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith, when the two-man teams event starts at Metropolitan Golf Club on Thursday.

The World Cup is an unofficial US PGA Tour event with a $US7 million purse which has 28 teams contesting two rounds of four-ball (best ball) and two rounds of foursomes (alternate shot) over four days.

A avid fan of the world-renowned sand belt, which includes Royal Melbourne and Kingston Heath, Poulter made his pitch to world No.25 Hatton - who made the choice as best-ranked available player - earlier this year.

"We had a chat at one of the events and I managed to persuade him that it would be a good choice to pick me," Poulter said.

"(The sand belt) is pretty big lure; I love it down here and I knew I wanted to make the team."

Globetrotting Poulter's hunger to play at Metropolitan immediately after last week's European Tour finale in Dubai comes in stark contrast to golf's biggest stars, with no player in the top 20 on the world rankings teeing it up.

"Unless you've travelled to the sand belt, you really haven't experienced golf," added Poulter.

The Englishman won the now-defunct Australian Masters in 2011 at nearby Victoria Golf Club, and has also played the World Cup five times previously for England.

"I've never won the World Cup and I would like to," Poulter said.

"If Tyrrell and I can pick up a trophy it would be pretty special."

But England face stiff competition from many teams, including defending champions Denmark, who feature in-form Thorbjorn Olesen and veteran Soren Kjeldsen.

With Kjeldsen's accuracy and Olesen's power, the Danes are confident they have the magic formula to go back-to-back on the sand belt, having won at Kingston Heath in 2016.

"We're quite opposite; most of the time I put it in the fairway," Kjeldsen said.

"I've got a solid game, whereas Thorbjorn has a flashy game; he amazing stuff now and again."

Added Olesen: "Yeah, we're one of the better teams because we have a lot of confidence and we've proven we can do it," he said.

World No.21 Leishman and Smith are installed as betting favourites to claim a sixth Cup title for Australia.

The pair are determined to win and boost popularity for the struggling event which Australia last won in 2013 - when Jason Day and Adam Scott combined at Royal Melbourne.

"I think we've got a lot of incentive to play well this week for ourselves, our families and the Australian fans," Leishman said.

"I really want to play well and put some runs on the board and hopefully it will be very nice on Sunday night to have (Smith) to celebrate with."

Spending the day hitting a tennis ball rather than a golf ball has Team USA talisman Matt Kuchar primed to return to winning form in this week's World Cup of Golf in Melbourne.

World No.29 Kuchar will partner Kyle Stanley (No.30) at the Metropolitan golf course with the American pair opening their account on Thursday morning alongside the Australian team of Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith.

Kuchar arrived in Sydney last week from Mexico where he ended a four-year title drought on the PGA Tour.

But the 40-year-old was unable to continue that run at the Australian Open, fading in the final two rounds to tie for 23rd.

Kuchar said the result hadn't dented his belief.

"Winning a tournament on the PGA Tour is hard to do and when you do it, you've got a great buzz going and a great sense of confidence and I'm hoping to keep it going," Kuchar said on Wednesday.

Feeling his game was in good shape Kuchar decided to prepare for the World Cup by trading his golf clubs for a tennis racquet.

"I had a day off and played some tennis with the family at Melbourne Park and I got on the Australian Open tennis courts which was a real thrill," Kuchar said.

"And I think when you're excited to be somewhere, you've got tons of energy."

Kuchar hoped to leverage off the hometown support for the Australians to get off to a flying start in the four-ball (best ball) format on Thursday.

"It's awesome to play with the Australians," Kuchar said.

"They've got a good team - Leish (Leishman) has been playing great, and Cam (Smith) had a very good year as well.

"I'm sure there will be some great crowds following them and hopefully a few supporters for Team USA."

In the last instalment of the World Cup in 2016, held at nearby Kingston Heath, the American team of Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker finished in a three-way tie for second behind Denmark.

World Cup of Golf organisers have brought forward opening day tee times with Melbourne set to be lashed by wild weather with rain and strong winds on Thursday.

The forecast is for heavy afternoon rain, with temperatures dipping to single figures as Victoria is hit by a wintry blast.

Winds are also expected to pick up to about 35kmh.

Organisers moved the tee times forward one hour, with the two-man teams from Malaysia and Zimbabwe first off at 7.20am at Metropolitan Golf Club.

The Australian team of Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith are in the last group, teeing off with Americans Kyle Stanley and Matt Kuchar just over three hours later.

Team USA had their first look at the sandbelt course during the pro-am on Wednesday and said it was in superb shape.

Stanley said he wasn't bothered by the forecast.

"It's one of the best golf courses in the world so it's a great venue for this week," he said.

"I know we've got a little weather coming in but I live in Seattle so that's no big deal for me."

Germany's Martin Kaymer stuck to practising on the putting green and said the field were prepared for any conditions.

"The weather forecast is what it is and we all have an umbrella and rain gear so off we go," Kaymer said.

The players will contest a four-ball (best ball) format on Thursday.

Poor weather is also predicted for Friday.

Bragging rights will be worth more than the $US9 million prize money to Phil Mickelson when he takes on Tiger Woods in an 18-hole winner-takes-all pay-per-view showdown in Las Vegas.

For two of the world's richest athletes the prospect of pocketing millions for playing an afternoon round at Shadow Creek Golf Club on Friday may not set the heart racing.

But for Mickelson the thought of forever being able to wave that cheque in Woods' face was something priceless ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday clash.

"It's great to win the $9 million but I just don't want to lose to him and give him the satisfaction because the bragging rights are what is going to be even worse than the money," Mickelson said at a news conference on Tuesday to drum up interest in "The Match".

"Every time I see you I want to be able to rub it in. I want to sit in the Champions locker room at Augusta and talk smack. I want that."

That was about as close as Woods and Mickelson, two of the most successful golfers of their generation, came to trading shots as they attempted to help sell the pay-per-view duel which can be seen for a modest $US19.99.

Despite their best efforts the obligatory trash talk around the golfing cage match has been forced and limp.

Fifteen years ago the dislike was real and palatable, the jabs they took at each other stung.

But that once frosty relationship has thawed to the point that they play practice rounds together.

The 42-year-old Woods and Mickelson, 48, spent so much time lavishing praise on each other in the media confeeence that it was hard to remember there was time when they actually disliked each other.

"He's one of the greatest players to ever pick up a golf club," said Woods, the winner of 14 major titles.

"(He's the) Greatest of all time," replied Mickelson, who has five majors in his trophy case.

One aspect of the event not manufactured is the competitiveness Woods and Mickelson bring to the golf course.

The showdown will be highlighted by several side bets and Mickelson wasted no time throwing down the gauntlet by betting Woods $US100,000 that he would birdie the first hole.

"So you think you can make birdie on the first hole," said Woods smiling. "Double it."

The biggest bet being put down, however, is the one made by WarnerMedia and Turner Sports who are gambling there is enough interest to make the unique pay-per-view event a success.

"This is me versus him, this is winner take all and it has a unique special feel golf doesn't have all the time or rarely has ever had if ever," said Mickelson.

"I am hopeful that this is received well, I am hopeful we provide a glimpse into the future of what sport-watching is all about."