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American golfer Nick Watney has withdrawn from the RBC Heritage in South Carolina ahead of the second round after he became the first PGA Tour member to test positive for COVID-19.

Watney, who also competed last week - missing the cut in Fort Worth, Texas - travelled privately to Hilton Head Island this week.

The PGA Tour said upon arriving at Harbour Town for second-round action, Watney indicated he had symptoms consistent with the illness. After consulting with a physician, Watney was administered a test and found to be positive.

"For the health and well-being of all associated with the tournament and those within the community, the Tour has begun implementing its response plan in consultation with medical experts including working with those who may have had close contact with Nick," the PGA Tour said in a statement.

Watney, a five-times winner on the PGA Tour, played the first round on Thursday in a group with fellow Americans Vaughn Taylor and Luke List.

Vaughn, who will be tested again as part of the PGA Tour's protocol, learned about Watney's positive test midway through his second round.

"Heart started racing, got a little nervous," said Vaughn.

"Just hope Nick's doing well and we get through this."

The tournament is the second in the PGA Tour's return from a three-month COVID-19 break and among the five that will be played without spectators 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 are "strongly encouraged" but not required.

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

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

World number one Rory McIlroy said Watney texted him the news since the two had chatted with each other on a practice green earlier in the day.

"We were at a distance. He was just saying, look, I hope I didn't get too close to you," said McIlroy, who told Watney to "concentrate on getting better".

"He feels badly that he was here today at the golf course.

"I said, look, it's fine. You never know. So I said to him, if I was in your position, I probably would have been here too. Look, at this point, you

Webb Simpson and Bryson DeChambeau were trading birdies with vastly different games, Rory McIlroy ran off enough birdies to make the cut and the biggest move of the day at the RBC Heritage belonged to a player who made it to the course, but not the tee.

Nick Watney became a footnote in golf history on Friday (Saturday AEST) as the first player to test positive for the coronavirus.Watney tested negative when he arrived earlier in the week, experienced symptoms on Friday and took another test that came back positive, and he now faces self-isolation for at least 10 days as the tournament goes on.

On the coure, Simpson got the last word with a six-foot birdie on his final hole at No.9 for another six-under 65, giving him a one-shot lead after another day of watching DeChambeau and his additional 40 pounds of mass swing out of his shoes for a 64.

DeChambeau made six birdies on his back nine, missing a five-footer on the last that would have tied for the lead.

Corey Conners also was one back after a bogey-free 63.

"It's very satisfying knowing I'm not near as long as some of these guys and I'm able to kind of use my skills of distance control and shot shape to pick me back up when I'm 40 yards or 30 yards behind these guys," Simpson said.

"I would like to hit it further. I set out on a journey three years ago to get stronger, hit it further, but do it a lot slower than Bryson. But he's made it look easy and seamless."

Simpson was at 12-under 130, and scoring remained bunched.

Thunderstorms that rolled through the island and halted play for two hours only gave players more time to talk about Watney and the ramifications.

McIlroy shot 66 to make the cut with one shot to spare, while Brooks Koepka was three shots behind after a 66.

The only Australian to make the cut was Matt Jones, who sits eight shots off the lead at four-under.

Englishman Ian Poulter and American Mark Hubbard are the joint leaders after the first round of the PGA's RBC Heritage event in Charleston.

Both shot a seven-under-par 64 at Hilton Head to lead by one from a posse of seven players.

Jordan Spieth and Tony Fianu are among those two shots behind.

Cameron Smith and Matt Jones were the best of the Australian contingent, both shooting two-under-par rounds of 69.

They are two ahead of Jason Day and Aaron Badderley - their par round leaving them in joint 85th position.

The top three players in the world are all playing - Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas - but none broke par on a day in which 66 players in the 151-man field shot in the 60s.

Dustin Johnson was poised to make a move until he hit into the water on the par-3 14th and compounding the error with a three-putt triple bogey. He still managed a 68.

Poulter had an early tee time at Hilton Head and took a liking to conditions, going blemish-free and finishing with a spring in his step by claiming four birdies after the turn.

He holed a 30-foot birdie putt and followed with a five-iron to four feet for a birdie that closed out his round.

"I've always loved coming here to play golf," said Poulter.

Hubbard, chasing his first PGA Tour title, was equally sharp in an error-free round highlighted by an eagle-three on the par-five second.

World No.1 McIlroy had a slow start, closing one over on 72.

The Northern Irishman, who has questioned the wisdom of European players who have declined to travel, hit three bogeys along the way.

"I wasn't particularly comfortable out there," he admitted.

Spieth had a dicey start, including a triple-bogey at 12, but ended with a surge of momentum as he birdied seven times on the front nine.

The US LPGA Tour will return from its COVID-19 shutdown with two tournaments in Ohio, starting with the new Drive On Championship three-day event from July 31 to August 2, officials said on Tuesday.

The Drive On Championship at the Inverness Club in Toledo will be played without spectators, a pro-am or sponsors, but the Marathon LPGA Classic to be held the following week in Sylvania, Ohio will welcome back fans at the Highland Meadows Golf Club.

"Thanks in part to the generosity of our partners who could not reschedule their events in 2020, we are adding a valuable additional playing opportunity for our LPGA Tour members," said LPGA commissioner Mike Whan in statement.

"This new event will allow us to test our COVID-19 protocols before we get to welcome back our fans at the Marathon LPGA Classic presented by Dana."

The Drive On Championship will mark the LPGA's first event in over five months, after the novel coronavirus outbreak shut down the Tour following the Women's Australia Open on Feb. 16.

The PGA Tour made its return last week with no spectators at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas won by Daniel Berger.

Aaron Baddeley admits it was extremely hard leaving his large family to return to golf after the longest break he's had since he toppled Greg Norman as a teenage amateur at the 1999 Australian Open.

Baddeley hasn't played competitively since March when the circuit was suspended due to the coronavirus but he's back this week for another shot at the RBC Heritage title at Hilton Head, South Carolina, where he won in 2006.

"It was a great three months and today was probably the saddest I've ever been to leave my family for a tournament," Baddeley told AAP.

The 39-year-old says the break was a blessing in disguise given wife Richelle gave birth to the couple's sixth child in February.

They named the baby boy Jedidiah, in keeping with the names of the couple's other children Jewell, Jolee, Jeremiah, Josiah and Jaddex.

Despite his four US tour wins, which followed a stellar amateur career, Baddeley has often battled to retain his tour card, forcing him to play almost year-round since turning pro in 2000 and successfully defending the Australian Open title.

"It's the first time I've really ever had three months off with no golf and no injuries, where I could just be a father and play with the kids and take them to their sports," he said.

Returning to Hilton Head's famed Harbour Town Golf Links where he earned his first US tour helped softened the blow of leaving his family in Arizona.

"I've got so many great memories playing at Harbour Town," Baddeley said.

"With narrow holes lined by trees, the course really demands all of your imagination and your ability to shape the ball both ways, which I love doing and have been practising the past three weeks."

Baddeley is joined in the field by fellow Australians Jason Day and Cameron Smith, who both missed the cut at last week's Charles Schwab Challenge, as well as Matt Jones.

It is the second event of the US PGA Tour's return after last week's event in Texas.

"I take my hat off to (commissioner) Jay Monahan and the PGA Tour for coming back.

"You could only imagine the amount of work and meetings they've had since March," Baddeley said.

Daniel Berger dreamed of moments like this, a putt on the final hole with everything riding on it, and he pulled it off to perfection on Sunday.

What Berger never imagined is how quiet it would be. No cheers when his 10-foot birdie on the final hole at Colonial gave him a share of the lead.

No groans when Collin Morikawa missed a six-foot birdie putt for the win.

And more silence on the first play-off hole that Berger won with a par.

"It was a little different for sure, but in the end, I was holding the trophy," Berger said.

"And that's all that matters to me."

The PGA Tour made a healthy and muted return from the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown at the Charles Schwab Challenge, except for Morikawa and Xander Schauffele having reason to feel sick to their stomachs.

One hole after a chance to win in regulation, Morikawa hit a superb pitch on the 17th hole in the playoff to three feet.

Berger converted his simple up-and-down for par from behind the green, and Morikawa's short par putt to extend the playoff hit the right side of the cup and spun out.

"Just hit a better putt," Morikawa said.

"My mind can't go much else than other what just happened on that hole."

Overnight leader Schauffele (69) was tied for the lead late in his round only to learn new meaning of "Horrible Horseshoe".

His three-foot par putt on the 17th in regulation dipped in the hole on the right side and came out on the left.

"If there are fans and everything with the 'oohs' and 'aahs,' I'd probably be a little more (ticked) off," Schauffele said.

Berger, whose birdie on the 18th gave him a closing round of four-under 66, won for the third time on the PGA Tour and he will jump up to 31st in the world rankings.

Schauffele, Justin Rose (66), Bryson DeChambeau (66) and Jason Kokrak (64) finished in a share of third while world No.1 Rory McIlroy had a horror front nine on his way to a four-over 74 and a tie for 32nd.

The scorecard this week included 487 tests for COVID-19, all negative.

"This has been a phenomenal start to our return," PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, who was on the first tee when golf returned on Thursday but back in Florida on Sunday, said.

The tour moves on to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, with another star-studded field to tee it up from Thursday.

The PGA Tour went three months without playing. It took three days to show fans what they were missing, even if all they could do was watch on TV.

Eight players had at least a share of the lead at some point on Saturday in the Charles Schwab Challenge. When the third round at Colonial ended, 14 players were separated by just three shots.

And not just anybody.

Xander Schauffele, among the growing roster of young stars in golf, finished off his six-birdie round with a 12-footer on the last hole for a four-under 66.

The six players one shot behind included Jordan Spieth, whose short game helped him navigate some early trouble and nerves for a 68 as he tries to end three years without winning.

Also one shot behind were Justin Thomas (66) and US Open champion Gary Woodland, who quickly got into the mix with birdies on his last two holes for a 66.

Rory McIlroy (69) and Justin Rose (68) were among those three shots behind. Patrick Reed, who had to birdie three of his last six holes Friday to make the cut with one shot to spare, shot 63 and was three back.

All this with hardly any noise.

"I don't have like a huge effect on the crowd I'd say, so not having fans isn't the craziest thing to me," Schauffele said.

"It just does feel like I'm playing at home with some of my buddies. It's quiet. You make three birdies in a row, you can kind of give yourself a pat on the back."

Matt Jones, the only Australian to make the half-way cut, carded a 69 on Saturday to drop down to a share of 33rd at five-under.

This wasn't entirely a TV show. A few houses in the Colonial neighborhood put up their own hospitality tents to see limited golf, the rowdiest behind the 16th tee and another down the 15th fairway.

Fans gathered on the balcony of an apartment complex along the 14th, which also brought out the first, "Get in the hole!" since the PGA Tour returned for the first since since March 12 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Colonial is the first of five tournaments in the return to golf that doesn't allow spectators.

"When you get into contention and have a chance to win a golf tournament, that adrenaline starts pumping," Woodland said. "It's been a little different. The first two days there wasn't too much adrenaline. There will be adrenaline going, which you have with fans or without fans. Tomorrow should be fun."

The field for the RBC Heritage next week includes 114 players who have won on the PGA Tour, the most of any event since the tour began keeping track in 2000.

It just doesn't have Tiger Woods and Australia's world No.6 Adam Scott.

For the second straight week, the top five in the world will be competing as golf resumes its schedule from the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown that began in March.

The Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial was the first event back, with protocols that included mandatory testing for players, caddies and essential personnel when they arrive - allll 487 tests were negative.

Rory McIlroy, the world's No. 1 player, will be at Hilton Head for the first time since 2009. Brooks Koepka will be playing for the first time.

Missing from the top 10 for the second straight week are Patrick Cantlay, Adam Scott and Tommy Fleetwood, the latter two living overseas.

Woods only played Hilton Head one time, in 1999. It was thought he might return at Hilton Head, especially with no likely appearances for him until the Memorial on July 16-19. Speculation increased when a marine tracking site indicated his yacht "Privacy" was just off the Georgia coast near Sea Island.

But there could be family obligations as his daughter's 13th birthday is Thursday.

World No.15 Marc Leishman joins Scott on the list of "missing" meaning No.35 Cameron Smith will be the highest-ranked Australian in the field, which will also include compatriots Jason Day (No.51) and Matt Jones (No.92).

The RBC Heritage is followed by the Travelers Championship in Connecticut, the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit and a new tournament for this year at Muirfield Village that precedes the Memorial, which Woods has won five times.

Harold Varner III opened with a triple bogey and closed with a flurry of five birdies over his last six holes to claim sole possession of the lead at the second round of the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas.

Playing the back nine first at the spectator-less Colonial Country Club, Varner got his day off to a horrific start with a triple at the par-four 10th but hit back with birdies at 12, 13 and 16 to return to level par.

He wobbled into the turn with a bogey at 18 but then jumped to the top of the leaderboard behind a run of four straight birdies from the fourth and another at his last for a four-under 66 and get to 11-under for the tournament.

"I'm still hitting it really well and putting it really well and those things go hand in hand," said the 29-year-old American, who is looking to claim his first PGA Tour victory.

"Obviously not the start I wanted, but it's just a part of golf."

Lurking one shot back is local favourite Jordan Spieth, who had his own troubles mid-round before recovering for a five-under 65.

Also playing the back nine first, Spieth, who began the day two shots off the lead, rocketed to the top of the leaderboard with six birdies through his opening 11 holes but then crashed out of top spot with a four-putt double bogey at the third followed by a bogey at the fourth.

Spieth, a three-time major champion, recovered with birdies at five and six to limit the damage and keep alive hopes of ending a three-year winless drought.

Powerhouse Bryson DeChambeau, who added muscle during the tour's three-month hiatus due to the novel coronavirus, is also one stroke off the lead after carding his second straight 65 on a hot afternoon in North Texas.

World number one Rory McIlroy staged a second-round charge, flirting with the course record before taking a bogey at his last for a seven-under 63 to sit two off the pace.

Until the final hole the Northern Irishman had been working on an error free round highlighted by a 23-foot putt for eagle at the par five first.

Birdies at two, six and seven put McIlroy at eight-under and one off the tournament record with two to play but his chances of 61 ended with a bogey as he joined Xander Schauffele (66) and Collin Morikawa (67) at nine-under.

Australian Matt Jones made par in his second round to put up seven shots off the lead.

Justin Rose and Harold Varner III carded rounds of 63 to take the lead in the PGA's first major tournament since the pandemic shut down the sport.

Englishman and world No.14 Rose was the clubhouse leader at the Colonial Golf course in Fort Worth until American Varner holed an 11-foot putt at the 18th to join him on seven under on Thursday.

The pair hold a one-shot lead over Venezuelan Jhonattan Vegas, Mexico's Abraham Ancer and Americans Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas.

Matt Jones is the best of the Australian contingent, shooting an impressive four-under 66.

The Sydneysider's blemish-free round included birdies on the first, eighth, ninth and 15th and leaves him in a 10-way tie for 16th.

Marc Leishman, Cameron Smith and John Senden all shot 69 to be tied for 57th.

Two back-nine bogeys left Jason Day at even par and in a tie for 78th.

Dustin Johnson did not enjoy his return to action as the world No.5 stumbled to a one-over 71 and carded four bogeys in a rusty round.

The event is the first on the PGA Tour since the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, Florida in early March, and has drawn a star-studded field to Texas.

Sixteen of the world's top 20 are in action, with top-ranked Rory McIlroy's round of 68 good enough for a share of 39th.

Rose said a bit of luck on the opening hole had set him on his way as he overcame some wayward shots to birdie his first hole.

"I got some momentum," he said on Sky Sports Golf. "I didn't play particularly well on the first six or seven holes but the putter was really hot."

"I got into a nice rhythm and I could have maybe got in the clubhouse better but I rode my luck a little bit."

Varner's bogey-free round is a boost to his hopes of capturing a maiden PGA Tour victory but said he is staying focused on the present.

"If I'm thinking about winning a golf tournament right now, I've probably lost it," he told reporters.

The PGA Tour observed a moment of silence at 8:46am in honour of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody after being pinned to the ground by a white Minneapolis officer last month for eight minutes and 46 seconds.

Varner, who went out in the afternoon, said he caught the moment on a TV at the gym before his round.

"I thought it was pretty cool," he said.