Red Cliffs entered the campaign as favourites but had to settle for a tie against the strong Mildura in round 1 in warm conditions.
Brad Steer and Daryl Morgan won their matches to give the early advantage to Red Cliffs, but strong performances from Ash Whitehouse and Cam Stewart equalled the match at 2-2.
McPhee and Rob Toms had a Herculean battle and a great birdie on the 18th hole to the former halved the match.
Meanwhile, reigning champions Coomealla initiated their defence in fine style with a 4-1 win over Riverside.
The NSW side got off to a flyer against their 2022 grand final adversaries, but despite the large margin, four of the matches went down to the 17th or 18th holes.
Coomealla got four wins across the line while Riverside captain Steve Wilmann secured the only victory for his side.
In the ladies section, defending champions Coomealla and Mildura both started the new season with 4-1 victories.
Again the showdown between Coomealla and Riverside went down to the wire, four of five contests decided on the second-last or final hole, but the NSW side came out stronger on the ledger.
Marg Lampard clinched the only win for Riverside.
Handicaps were very even in all matches between Mildura and Red Cliffs, so were played without a significant differential.
However, Mildura won the contest 4-1 with most matches being decided well before the 18th hole.
In Division 2, Robinvale started the season with a bang, taking top spot with a resounding 5-0 win over Coomealla led by standout performances from John Zara and Blaine Cucia.
Home team Merbein took second place following the opening round coming out on top of their hard-fought contest against Riverside 3.5 to 1.5.
Red Cliffs captain Jeff Scott’s victory over Greg Toma on the 18th hole helped his side secure the contest against Mildura 3-2, with all matches going to at least the 16th hole.
In Pool A of Division 3, the strong Coomealla team led by Greg Butcher defeated Red Cliffs 5-0, however, two matches went to the final hole.
Riverside also got the victory over Mildura 3-2, all matches decided well before the 18th hole.
In Pool B, Ouyen got the early jump on Mildura, leading 2-0, however wins to Simon Kelly and Newton Morrison, and then a halved match between Aaron Robson and Rodney Poole tied the contest.
Jackson Leslie led the Robinvale team off well with a win against Red Cliffs, and Dean Leslie made a half against Ula Henry, but the strong Red Cliffs combination won the remaining three matches convincingly to win the contest 3.5 to 1.5
Sunday’s second round will be held at Coomealla, starting with the ladies matches from 8am.
***
Ladders
Ladies: Mildura, Coomealla, Riverside, Red Cliffs
Division 1 Men: Coomealla, Red Cliffs, Mildura, Riverside
Division 2 Men: Robinvale, Merbein, Red Cliffs, Mildura, Riverside, Coomealla
Division 3 Men (1): Coomealla, Riverside, Mildura, Red Cliffs
Division 3 Men (2): Red Cliffs, Ouyen, Mildura, Robinvale
