Royal Melbourne was proving a tough golf course to crack despite benign conditions for the first round of the Women’s Australian Open.

Three players among the early starters shared the lead at two-under the card while a group of more than 20 was one shot back.

American Jane Rah, Scot Janice Moodie and South Korean Eun-Hee Ji were the pacesetters as the $US1.1 million ($A1 million) tournament began.

It is the first time a women’s pro event has been staged at the famed sandbelt layout, where the men struggled with rock-hard greens during the Presidents Cup late last year.

Birdies were at a premium price on Thursday but Moodie and Ji had the best openings.

Moodie birdied two of her first three holes while the Korean player was two-under after four.

Among those crowded together at one-under were former dual winning Briton Laura Davies and Australians Sarah Oh and Sarah Kemp.

Yani Tseng, the Taiwanese No.1, is aiming for her third successive Open victory this week.