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Jason Day was sent out without playing partners at the US PGA Tour's Travelers Championship after undergoing a test for coronavirus.

After two missed cuts since the season restart, the Australian had finally made the weekend rounds but health concerns were raised when Day requested a COVID-19 test before his third round on Saturday.

With coronavirus continuing to prove a difficult issue for the tour, officials had the former world No.1 play solo at the back of the field as a precautionary measure.

About 45 minutes after he started, the PGA Tour said in a statement that his test results had come back negative prior to him teeing off.

Day shot a 69 to be five-under - a distant 13 shots behind leader Brendon Todd.

Todd and Dustin Johnson each shot career-low 61s on Saturday, leaving Todd at 18-under and a two-stroke lead over the 2016 US Open champion.

There have been seven COVID-19-related withdrawals from the event in Cromwell, Connecticut.

Two players withdrew on Friday because of the coronavirus - Denny McCarthy for a positive test, and Bud Cauley, who tested negative but decided to pull out after playing alongside McCarthy on Thursday.

McCarthy was the third PGA Tour player to test positive for the virus since its restart and the second this week, joining Cameron Champ, who withdrew on Tuesday.

Nick Watney withdrew just before the second round of last week's RBC Heritage Championship.

Webb Simpson, Graeme McDowell, Brooks Koepka and his brother Chase also withdrew from the Travelers after coming into contact with people who had the virus.

McDowell and Brooks Koepka's caddies both tested positive.

Simpson cited the positive test of a family member.

The PGA said because of the positive tests this week, players, caddies, and anyone else "inside the bubble," will not be allowed on the property at future tournaments until first being cleared with a negative test for coronavirus.

Todd and Johnson both went bogey-free in their nine-under rounds.

Todd is looking for his third win of the season after he went back-to-back at the Bermuda Championship and the Mayakoba Golf Classic in November.

"Whenever I get a two or three-week stretch in a row, I tend to be playing better by the end of it," he said.

"That's just something I'm using to my advantage now after missing two cuts."

Former world No.1 Johnson is looking for his 21st win on tour.

Kevin Streelman fired a 63 to be third and three shots adrift of Todd while Mackenzie Hughes, who led after a 60 on Thursday, shot his second straight 68 for sole possession of fourth place.

Bryson DeChambeau and Kevin Na each shot 65 and were tied for fifth at 14-under.

Phil Mickelson, who celebrated his 50th birthday on June 16, began the day with a one-stroke lead but struggled with a 71, finishing tied for seventh in a group six shots off the lead.

Talented Australian golfer Ryan Ruffels is well-placed for a career breakthrough victory after a stunning third round at the Korn Ferry Tour's Utah Championship.

Ruffels, 22, ripped through the front nine with eight birdies, including seven in a row from the first hole, as he posed an eight-under 63.

He will go into the final round of the US secondary tour event in a four-way tied for third.

He's just one shot behind the joint leaders, Americans Paul Haley and Kyle Jones (both 67s) who are at 17 under.

Touted for big things since his amateur days, Ruffels is seeking his first professional win and another big step toward the PGA Tour after working his way up from the LatinoAmerica Tour.

Phil Mickelson used a solid finish to seize a one-shot lead following the second round of the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut, where a third PGA Tour player tested positive for COVID-19.

Mickelson closed with a birdie at the last hole of the TPC River Highlands course for a seven-under-par 63 that brought him to 13-under on the week and one shot clear of first-round leader Mackenzie Hughes (68) and sponsor invite Will Gordon (62).

Australian Marc Leishman shot a strong 65 to ensure he sits a further three shots behind on nine-under, along with world No. 1 Rory McIlroy (68), Xander Schauffele (68), Brendan Steele (62) and Brendan Todd (65).

Mickelson, in his first tournament since turning 50 last week, will have a short turnaround as third round action will feature threesomes off split tees starting at 7 am (local time) due to expectations for inclement weather later in the day.

"It's probably a little bit difficult as you get older, but when you're playing well, you have that extra momentum, and it should be okay," said Mickelson.

Denny McCarthy withdrew ahead of his second round after he became the third PGA Tour player to test positive for COVID-19.

"Last night, I woke up in the middle of the night with additional aches and soreness and sensed something was off," said McCarthy.

"I felt like the only thing to do was get tested at that point before I went to the course."

Bud Cauley, who played the first round with McCarthy, tested negative twice but withdrew as a precautionary measure, bringing the number of coronavirus-related withdrawals this week to seven.

Jason Day and Greg Chalmers - both four-under - were the only other Australians to survive the second round cut.

Canadian Mackenzie Hughes has fired an error free 10-under 60 to take the first-round lead at the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut, putting him three shots clear of world No.1 Rory McIlroy.

Playing the back nine first at the TPC River Highlands on Thursday, Hughes was in blistering form as he strung together a run of five straight birdies from the 14th on his outward nine and picked up four more after the turn.

He had a long look at a magical 59 but left a 41-foot birdie putt short at his last.

"I've shot 61 twice in competition, once at Sea Island and once at a mini-Tour event," the 29-year-old told reporters.

"Both times there was an outside chance the last few holes to shoot 59.

"Kind of similar deal to today where I kind of needed to birdie the last few holes."

Also a back nine starter, McIlroy got off to a flying start by rolling in an 11-foot putt for an eagle on the par five 13th and then followed up with birdies at 14 and 15 to quickly get to four-under.

The Northern Irishman's only miscue was a bogey at 16 but he was error free the rest of the way, piling on four more birdies after the turn for a seven-under 63.

"It's just been nice to get back into some competitive golf again," McIlroy said.

"You know, it doesn't feel the same because you're not having thousands of people reacting to your birdies and getting that going. I felt the weekends have been a little flat for me just because that's when you're in contention and that's where you sort of start to feel it. Thursdays and Fridays don't feel that different to be honest, but into the weekends they do."

American Xander Schauffele and Norway's Viktor Hovland, who were part of the afternoon wave, finished tied with McIlroy after both carded seven-under 63s.

Lurking one shot further back is a pack led by Spain's Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson, who recently celebrated his 50th birthday, with both enjoying error free starts.

Joining the two major winners at six-under are Americans Tyler Duncan and Michael Thompson plus South Korea's Noh Seung-yul and South African Louis Oosthuizen.

Australians Cameron Davis and Mark Leishman were four-under, while Jasonn Day and Cameron Percy were a shot back.

Compatiots Greg Chalmers, Aaron Baddely and Cameron Smith were all one-under, while Matt Jones was four-over.

Golfers appeared to be taking heed and paying closer attention to COVID-19 safety protocols after PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan issued a stern warning on Wednesday following the withdrawal of several players.

Major champions Brooks Koepka and Graeme McDowell pulled out of the event after their caddies tested positive for COVID-19 while Cameron Champ withdrew on Tuesday after testing positive.

Major champions Brooks Koepka and Graeme McDowell are among those who withdrew from this week's Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut, after their caddies both tested positive for COVID-19, the PGA Tour said on Wednesday.

World number four Koepka and 2010 US Open winner McDowell, who competed on the PGA Tour the last two weeks, both tested negative but decided to skip the PGA Tour's third tournament back from a COVID-19 hiatus out of caution.

"I don't want to do anything that might jeopardise the health of any player in the field or his ability to compete," said four-times major winner Koepka.

Northern Irishman McDowell had two negative tests this week but considered it prudent to drive straight home since he spent plenty of time with his caddie over the last 10 days and also felt some fatigue and muscle soreness.

"If there's any chance that I could have it, I am not keen on risking the possibility that I could pass it onto anyone else this week," said McDowell.

"I decided to drive back to Orlando today, versus flying and those risks as well. I'm just going to take the scenic route down the east coast of the USA for 17 hours and increase my knowledge of US geography a bit."

World number five Webb Simpson, fresh off a win in South Carolina, will sit out as a family member tested positive while Koepka's brother Chase, who qualified on Monday, withdrew as he played a practice round this week with Brooks and McDowell.

"While my tests this week were negative, I feel like it is my responsibility to take care of my family and protect my peers in the field by withdrawing from the Travelers Championship," said 2012 US Open champion Simpson.

Cameron Champ withdrew on Tuesday after he became the second PGA Tour golfer in a five-day span to test positive.

The Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands is the third of five events on the PGA Tour's revamped schedule closed to the public in a bid to help stem the spread of the virus.

Jason Day's long-time coach Colin Swatton admits the former world No.1's rankings free-fall is disappointing but expects his struggling student to turn a corner at this week's Travelers Championship in Connecticut.

Having missed the cut in both tournaments since the US PGA Tour restarted from a three-month suspension, Day will tee up at the Travelers event at TPC River Highlands - where five players have withdrawn due to coronavirus testing.

Of the five golfers who withdrew, only one, Cameron Champ, tested positive for COVID-19.

Major winners Brooks Koepka and Graeme McDowell pulled out when their caddies tested positive.

Nick Watney became the first PGA Tour player to test positive at last week's RBC Heritage event.

"Any time you learn of a positive test in your working environment it's alarming, but there are almost 1,000 people at a golf tournament so positive results are going to happen," Swatton told AAP from the US.

Day is one of eight Australians contesting the Travelers and is hoping to make the weekend at a US Tour event for the first time since his fourth place result at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February.

Day, who held the world No.1 ranking for 47 consecutive weeks in 2015 and 2016, has now dropped to 56th on the back of a two-year winless drought.

"Obviously, Jason wants to be the best player in the world again," Swatton said of Day, who has not featured in the world's top 10 since October 2018.

"Is it disappointing to be 56th in the world after being No.1? Absolutely.

"But it's more about focussing on the daily goals and developing some rhythm to the way he's playing. Then, the results will take care of the ranking."

Swatton said Day's team anticipated some poor results given the lead up to August's US PGA Championship - the first major of the year - included several tournaments Day typically avoided.

The Queenslander had not played the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial CC in Texas in nine years, while his last appearance at the RBC Heritage in South Carolina was 2016.

"Jason has been putting poorly and you combine that with playing a schedule that is forced, rather than strategic, and there's going to be some struggles," Swatton said.

"But he has been driving the ball well and his ball-striking has been good."

Swatton believes 32-year-old Day will kick-start a return to form at the Travelers, where he tied for eighth place last year.

"River Highlands is a good course for Jason and he has had some great results in the north east of the US, where the courses are tree lined and have small greens."

Day will be joined in the field by countrymen Marc Leishman, the 2012 winner, as well as Cameron Smith, Matt Jones, Cameron Davis, Cameron Percy, Greg Chalmers and Aaron Baddeley.

Australian golfer Matt Jones can feel the tension in the locker room rising as coronavirus creeps its way onto the US PGA Tour.

American Cameron Champ withdrew from this week's Travelers Championship in Connecticut after testing positive for COVID-19 during pre-tournament screening.

A two-time winner on the PGA Tour, Champ is the second known member of the elite golf tour to fall victim to the virus after countryman Nick Watney's positive return on Friday.

"I feel great physically and I was obviously surprised and disappointed to learn of the test result," Champ said.

"It's important now to take the necessary steps and measures to protect others, including my loved ones."

Jones, the reigning Australian Open champion and only Australian to make the half-way cut at the past two PGA Tour events, said the coronavirus crisis had most definitely raised anxiety levels among the players.

"There's a lot of talk about it," he said during a teleconference on Wednesday.

"I don't know if it's nerves, but everyone is very cautious.

"No one wants to catch it and be one of the players that catches it and then spreads it to other players.

"I mean, we're all out here playing for a living, too, so missing two weeks of tournaments right now is pretty important so no one wants to have to deal with that.

"But if we're smart and we do the right things like we've been directed to do - and we're not out at a bar drinking like a couple of players or caddies have done - I think we'll all be pretty good if we just listen to what the guidelines that they've given us are and just be smart about everything."

This week's event at TPC River Highlands is the third of five stops on the PGA Tour's revamped schedule that is closed to the general public in a bid to help stem the spread of the virus.

According to a PGA Tour participant resource guide, anyone who tests positive will be quarantined while a "disinfecting/decontaminating response" is implemented.

The guide also said at-home tests before travelling to a tournament were "strongly encouraged" but not required.

Upon arriving at a tournament, all players and caddies must proceed to a testing site to receive a nasal swab test and thermal screening.

Only once a negative test result is received will players be issued a wristband or lanyard that grants them access to the locker room and clubhouse.

August's US PGA Championship is scheduled to go ahead at San Francisco's TPC Harding Park without spectators.

The event will be the year's first major after July's Open Championship was postponed until next year and the Masters and US Open were moved back to November and September respectively.

A decision to play behind-closed-doors was made by the PGA of America in coordination with the state of California and city and county of San Francisco.

"We are both inspired and honoured to 'play on'," said PGA of America chief executive Seth Waugh.

"We'd like to thank the state of California and the city and county of San Francisco for being terrific partners in helping us get to this place.

"While the local community cannot be with us physically on-site, we will certainly carry their spirit of resilience and unity with us as we stage our major championship, on their behalf, for all the world to see and enjoy."

American Brooks Koepka is looking to win an historic third successive title at the event, itself initially scheduled for May.

Webb Simpson has celebrated another victory on Father's Day, this time with a tartan jacket instead of a US Open trophy, as he stormed home to win the PGA Tour's RBC Heritage.

In a wild sprint to the finish after a three-hour storm delay, Simpson ran off five birdies in his closing seven holes at Harbour Town to card a 7-under 64 and a one- one-shot victory.

Simpson won the US Open at Olympic Club in 2012 but the traditional Father's Day finish for the major was moved back to September this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On a soft course where scoring was low, Simpson set a tournament record at 22-under 262 to secure his second win of the year and to move to the top of the FedEx Cup standings.

"It was a crazy day," Simpson, who will move up to world No.5, said.

"I didn't get it going until 12 and then the putts started going in and I started getting confident. It's amazing to be standing here right now."

It was a tough runner-up finish for Abraham Ancer, who hit all 18 greens in regulation on his way to a 65.

Daniel Berger, last week's winner at Colonial, chipped in for birdie on the 17th to close with a 65 and finish in a share of third at 20-under with England's Tyrrell Hatton (66).

Sergio Garcia and Joaquin Niemann both had rounds of 65 to share fifth at 19-under while Brooke Koepka matched their score to finish seventh a shot further back.

Dylan Frittelli had the low score of the week, his 62 on Sunday put him in the clubhouse lead before the final groups even teed off.

The South African had to settle for a share of eighth in a six-man group that included Justin Thomas (63) and Bryson DeChambeau (66).

World No.1 Rory McIlroy closed with a 70 and tied for 41st while Australian Matt Jones slid to 52nd with an even-par 71.

The PGA Tour's return to competition has brought together the strongest fields of the year on courses that have not been overly punishing, and the result is the same.

It's another free-for-all at the RBC Heritage.

Tyrrell Hatton carded one of six rounds of 63 at Harbour Town Golf Links on Saturday, giving the 28-year-old from England a share of the lead as he aims for his second victory in a row - albeit three months apart because of the shutdown from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Webb Simpson practically had to apologise for a three-under 68, in which he managed just one birdie on the back nine to be one of four co-leaders after three rounds.

Abraham Ancer had a 65 and Ryan Palmer a 66 to round out the quartet at the top of the leaderboard at 15-under 198.

Even with Jordan Spieth and Xander Schauffele sputtering to 75s, the field was 223-under par, the lowest for any round since the RBC Heritage began in 1969.

There were 35 players at 10 under or better after 54 holes, compared with only one player (Dustin Johnson) a year ago.

Most telling were the opportunities on Sunday.

There were 21 players separated by just three shots going into the final round.

"I think the fields have been extremely strong," Ancer said.

"Everybody out here was just eager to come out and play.

"The greens are a little bit soft, especially this week, and the ball isn't really rolling out as much as you're used to on the greens and on the fairways.

"That's yielding a little bit more birdies, for sure."

Carlos Ortiz, who started this tournament with two double bogeys in his first five holes, has a chance to grab his first PGA Tour victory after two eagles in a round of 63 - the score he shared with last week's Colonial winner Daniel Berger and Joel Dahmen as the trio sit a shot off the lead and tied for fifth.

Chile's Joaquin Niemann (63) and Sergio Garcia (65) are among eight players in a share of eighth at 13-under-par.

World No.1 Rory McIlroy is at 10-under and tied for 28th while Australian Matt Jones is a shot further back after both shot 66 on moving day.