United States captain Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas made a strong start as the Presidents Cup got underway on a cold and overcast morning in Melbourne.

Woods purred at Royal Melbourne Golf Club, where the 15-time major champion birdied his opening two holes to put the USA 2up against the International team on Thursday.

There was plenty of colour and noise as fans descended on the opening tee, with a group of USA supporters - including a man dressed up as a tiger - belting out a rendition of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight".

Woods and team-mate Thomas did not miss a beat in the opening four-ball contest against Marc Leishman and Joaquin Niemann.

Plenty of noise and colour at Royal Melbourne. Even a rendition of the ‘Lion Sleeps Tonight’ belted out as Tiger Woods prepared to tee off.

Good start for Team USA against the Internationals.#PresidentsCup @OmnisportNews pic.twitter.com/UNEfAYckJE

— Sacha Pisani (@Sachk0) December 11, 2019

Seeking an eighth consecutive Presidents Cup triumph, Woods set the tone with back-to-back birdies in a flawless start to the day.

Patrick Reed - embroiled in penalty controversy entering the tournament - and Dustin Johnson are among the USA players in action on day one, while Adam Scott and Louis Oosthuizen are among the Internationals flying the flag for Ernie Els' team.