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Ha Na Jang birdied the third playoff hole Sunday to beat American Danielle Kang for the LPGA's BMW Ladies Championship.

Both players parred the par-four 18th twice in the playoff before moving to the 10th hole at the LPGA Busan International course, where Jang's three clinched it.

Kang, who birdied eight of her first 13 holes for a 64, and Jang, 65, finished with 19-under 269 totals. Kang won last week's Shanghai tournament, the first of four LPGA events in Asia.

Jang had an eagle and three birdies on the back nine, including on the par-4 17th which moved her into a tie for the lead.

Amy Yang had a 67 and was three strokes behind in third.

Su Oh was the best-placed Australian at nine under in a tie for 13th compatriot Minjee Lee was a shot further back in a share of 16th.

Charley Hull finished with a 69 and was at eight-under, 11 strokes behind. Nelly Korda shot 71 and finished five under while Brooke Henderson had a 74 and finished at three-under. Paula Creamer's 74 left her at two-over while Morgan Pressel was another stroke behind after a 76.

The LPGA Tour's Asian swing moves to Taiwan next week followed by a fourth stop in Japan.

Tiger Woods has launched an impassioned defence of Jason Day for his lack of tournament play in Australia as he prepares to contest his national open for just the fourth time in a decade.

The 31-year-old Day has faced considerable scrutiny from fans for playing just five Opens - including two as an amateur - while building a stellar career in the US highlighted by 51 total weeks as world No.1.

But 15-time major winner Woods, a friend and mentor to Day, says homecoming trips are not as easy as they seem - particularly given Day has chronic back injuries.

Day joins Adam Scott, Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith as homegrown stars committed to the Open being held at The Australian GC in Sydney from December 5-8.

"Jason has made the move to live in the (United) States, he lives in Ohio now and has his family there," Woods told AAP in Japan ahead of the Zozo Championship.

"Quite frankly, Australia doesn't have the same length of a tour that they used to have and there are only a select few tournaments towards the end of the year.

"Unfortunately, the last few years, Jason has been struggling with his back and really hasn't travelled that far around the world (at that time of year).

"To get down to 'Oz' and play is hard and I understand that because I have dealt with a bad back myself; travelling is probably the worst thing you can do."

Day refused to make excuses, although he admitted the Australian summer of golf's end-of-year schedule was difficult to prioritise over "the only time" he had to rehabilitate back injuries.

"I'd like to play the Australian Open every year, or at least come down to Australia and play somewhere every year," Day told AAP.

"But it's hard with the wraparound PGA Tour schedule; it seems it doesn't stop.

"You never really get any blocs of time off and with me and my back, it's difficult at the end of the year, when the Australian Open is on, because that is the only time I have to get my back ready for the next (US) season.

"It's not the long flight (to Australia), it's that if I have an injury and I keep playing through it, it takes so much longer to recover."

Although Day, a 12-time US PGA Tour winner and owner of one major, is keen to lift the Stonehaven Cup having finished in the top six in all three Open appearances as a pro.

"I don't just want to win the Australian Open once, I want to win it multiple times like Greg Norman did," Day said.

Day, Leishman and Scott are in the field for this week's 78-man Zozo Challenge at the Accordia golf course outside Tokyo.

Day won an exhibition skins match against Woods, Rory McIlroy and Hideki Matsuyama at the same Tokyo course on Monday.

Tiger Woods may have erased any doubt about playing in the Presidents Cup in Australia as he fired a brilliant six-under 64 to share the lead in the US PGA Tour's inaugural Zozo Championship in Japan.

Making his tour return two months after his latest knee surgery, Woods rallied from bogeys on his opening three holes to reel off nine birdies at the par-70 Narashino Country Club on Thursday.

Woods, the US team captain, must decide whether to play himself as a captain's pick against the International team in the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne in December and all indications are that he will.

Woods was followed by a huge gallery of Japanese fans getting their first chance to see the 43-year-old play in the Tokyo area and he did not let them down with a performance that conjured up images of the halcyon days when he strutted the fairways with an aura of invincibility.

"It was a crazy day," he said after earning a share of the lead with fellow American Gary Woodland, one shot in front of home favourite Hideki Matsuyama.

"I hit bad shot after bad shot after bad shot ... and next thing you know, things aren't looking very good," Woods said.

"I certainly was not expecting to shoot six under par after that start. That was a very ugly start. It flipped and I got hot and made a bunch of putts."

His 64 was his best score since he carded 62 in the first round of the BMW Championship in September of last year.

"This is how I've been hitting it at home, so that (64) wasn't a real big surprise," he said.

While Woods thrived, the elite three-man Australian contingent struggled in the 78-strong field.

Jason Day was the pick of the trio with a 73, while fellow former world No.1 Adam Scott made a 74 and Marc Leishman battled to post a 76.

The opening round was played in fine if cloudy weather, but a forecast for torrential rain on Friday has players wondering how much competition will be possible before the course becomes unplayable.

One of world golf's longest hitters, Cameron Champ, will make his Down Under debut this summer at the Australian PGA Championship on the Gold Coast.

The 24-year-old Californian star joins a field including local hero Adam Scott and back-to-back defending champion Cameron Smith at the Royal Pines course from December 19-22.

Already a two-time US PGA Tour winner in his first two full seasons as a professional, world No.71 Champ will bring a lot of hype with him because of his long hitting.

He topped the PGA Tour's driving distance stats last season and is second, only behind Tony Finau, with an average of 333 yards this season.

"Cameron Champ is a shooting star of the PGA Tour... I can't wait to see him strike the ball from the first tee," PGA of Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman said.

Nicolas Colsaerts ended a seven-year winless run on the European Tour with a dramatic one-shot victory at the French Open on Sunday.

The Belgian had last triumphed at the 2012 Volvo World Match Play Championship, four months before he was part of the European team that famously came back from 10-4 down to lift the Ryder Cup in the Miracle at Medinah.

He carded a closing one-over-par 72 on day four in Paris but that was enough to move him to 12 under and hold off the challenge of Dane Joachim B Hansen.

He started the day with a three-shot lead over South African George Coetzee and looked to be cruising to victory when he extended that to five after a birdie on the first.

But the demons that have led to him fighting for his playing privileges resurfaced and missed putts from inside 10 feet on the fifth, sixth and 12th meant he trailed Coetzee by two with six to play.

A spectacular chip-in eagle on the 14th had him back in the lead, but he would find the water on the next to surrender a double-bogey and slip a shot behind Hansen.

There was to be more drama, however, as Hansen took four putts from just short of the green on the 17th for a double of his own and Colsaerts held his nerve over the last three holes for a third European Tour victory.

Lucas Herbert was the top Australian player as he ended tied for 14th place on five under with Jason Scrivener on one under.

Hansen carded a closing 68 to finish a shot ahead of Coetzee and two clear of American Kurt Kitayama.

Ireland's Gavin Moynihan and Scot Richie Ramsay were in the group at eight under alongside two-time major champion Martin Kaymer.

World No.5 Jon Rahm has successfully defended his Open de Espana title with a commanding victory at Club de Campo in Madrid.

Rahm carded a closing 66 to finish 22-under par, five shots ahead of compatriot Rafa Cabrera Bello, with Samuel Del Val making it a Spanish podium on 15 under on Sunday.

The win takes Rahm above Open champion Shane Lowry on the European Tour's Race to Dubai with seven tournaments remaining in the season.

Rahm began the final round with a five-shot lead following a superb 63 on Saturday and was never in danger of being caught after a brilliant approach to the par-five fourth set up an eagle from four feet.

The 24-year-old also birdied the seventh, ninth, 10th and 14th and was only denied an even bigger winning margin when Cabrera Bello birdied five of the last six holes, while he dropped a shot on the 17th.

"I'm not happy I three-putted 17, I wanted to go bogey-free, but at the end of the day I did the important thing, I was able to successfully defend it in front of the home crowd," Rahm told Sky Sports.

"It might not be the strongest field yet but it's always really hard for me to keep everything under control and to play the weekend that I did for them is always really fun.

"I can't wait for next year to come back and hopefully do it three times."

Australian Jason Scrivener finished 10 shots off the lead in equal seventh after mixing two bogeys with four birdies for a two-under 69 in his final round.

Compatriot Dimi Papadatos ended four shots back after a shooting a one-under 70, while Brett Rumford finished a shot further behind after he also carded 70 in his last round.

Australia's Cameron Smith has staged a superb late rally to share third place as American star Justin Thomas claimed his 11th PGA Tour title in South Korea.

Smith spent much of Sunday's final round sliding down the leaderboard as others charged but finished birdie, birdie, eagle in his last three holes to recoup the damage and post a closing three-under 69.

Inaugural champion Thomas staved off a challenge by Korean-born Danny Lee to claim his second CJ Cup title in three years with a two-shot victory at Nine Bridges.

The overnight leaders were level for the first 13 holes before Thomas surged ahead with a birdie on the 14th, while Lee bogeyed the 15th and 16th to effectively drop out of contention.

Thomas eventually signed off with a five-under 67 for a winning total of 20-under 268, while Lee carded 69 to finish in second place.

"It was a very, very tough day," Thomas said.

"Danny made it extremely difficult. He really made a lot of putts, a lot of unbelievable up and downs to kind of keep me from getting all the momentum. I really, really played solidly today."

"My dad turned 60 last week, so maybe it's a little 60th birthday gift to him."

It has been a difficult week for Lee whose second child, originally due closer to Christmas, was born prematurely last Sunday and is in an incubator.

"Before I tee off my very first tee shot on Thursday, if someone's going to give me solo second, I would take it in a heartbeat. It is a good week but also very disappointing," he said.

"I really wanted to win the CJ Cup. It means a lot to me to win it in front of the Korean fans and all my Korean family but it is what it is. I gave my best out there today and solo second was the best I could do."

Hideki Matsuyama (65), Gary Woodland (66) and Smith (69) shared third place at 15-under.

A further three shots behind was Jordan Spieth, who returned 71. Next-best Australian Matt Jones tied for 20th after a 65, while Phil Mickelson finished with 68 to be joined by Jason Day (71) at seven-under.

PGA Tour's three-event Asian swing now moves to Japan where Tiger Woods will compete in the Zozo Championship before Shanghai hosts the World Golf Championships from October 31.

with AP

With six birdies in her opening seven holes, American Jaye Marie Green caught herself thinking about becoming only the second player in LPGA Tour history to shoot 59.

But by the end of the day she was happy enough with a seven-under 64 and a one-shot lead over Cheyenne Knight, heading into the final round of the Volunteers of America Classic in Texas.

Green's early birdie blitz started with six birdies in seven holes and eight birdies through 10 holes. She ran into a few problems down the stretch, saved herself with two big putts and wound up with her first lead going into the final round.

"When you're in the middle of it, you don't really realise like I only had two pars through 10 holes," Green said. "I was like, 'Oh my gosh. I'm like ... ah, forget about it.' If it's my time to shoot in the 50s, it will happen. But it didn't, and I was happy with how things went."

Cheyenne Knight, the 22-year-old Texan with plenty of support at Old American Golf Club, birdied the last hole for a 67 to get into the final group. Katherine Perry (66) and Solheim Cup player Brittany Altomare (68) were two shots behind.

None of the leading four players has won on the LPGA Tour.

For Knight and Perry, even more is at stake - full cards for next year.

Perry is No.118 on the LPGA Tour money list, while Knight is at No.120. Both likely need to finish in the top five to earn enough money to crack the top 100 and avoid going to the eight-round Q-Series qualifier.

There's also that matter of winning.

Green is in her sixth year and had a great chance four months ago at the US Women's Open when she went into the final round one shot out of the lead, only to make three bogeys on the back nine for a 73 to finish three shots behind.

"At the US Open what I learned was I was always picturing myself holding the trophy," Green said. "I'm like, 'Jaye, you're not there yet.' So today that was coming in my mind. I was like, 'Jaye, it's the third round. There's so much golf left, just stay focused.' ... I feel like I did a good job of doing that today."

US Women's PGA Championship winner Hannah Green, the only Australian to make the cut in the field, improved on her disastrous second-round 76 with a 73.

That leaves her in a tie for 73rd, 18 shots off the lead.

Cameron Champ broke down in tears when it was over.

Playing while his grandfather fights cancer in nearby Sacramento, the 24-year-old Champ won the Safeway Open on Sunday for his second PGA Tour title.

He made a four-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th hole for a one-stroke victory over Adam Hadwin at Silverado Resort.

Australia's Marc Leishman rocketed home to finish outright third. He made eight birdies in a seven-under 65 round to set the clubhouse lead at 14 under par.

Hours later a triumphant and relieved Champ raised both arms on the final green then shared a long embrace with his caddie before breaking into tears as he hugged his father, Jeff.

Champ's grandfather Mack - who introduced him to golf at a young age - is battling stomach cancer and is in hospice care.

"For me to do something like this, for me to win, and for him to be able to witness and watch on TV, I know he was probably amped up," Champ said.

"For him to be able to see me make that putt on 18 on the 72nd hole, that will go down as the greatest moment ever in my career.

"It was just kind of meant to be. Everything fell into place."

Champ's second victory in 33 events didn't come without its moments, especially down the stretch.

Three strokes ahead entering the round, Champ had five birdies and overcame a bogey on No.17 to hold off Hadwin.

Champ closed with a 3-under 69 to finish at 17-under 271.

Afterward, Champ was handed a cell phone by his father. On the other end was his grandfather.

"With everything going on with my family, with my grandpa, I wasn't sure if I was even going to play... The whole week there was nothing else on my mind. It just kind of blurred everything else," Champ said.

Hadwin birdied the final three holes for a 67 to tie Champ at 16 under, then watched from nearby as the tour's longest driver made a short birdie putt for the win.

Champ's maiden tour victory came last October in Mississippi and he hadn't finished higher than sixth since, missing the cut 12 times.

Australian journeyman Cameron Percy gave his career a great boost in his latest return to the PGA Tour, finishing tied seventh at 12 under after a closing 67.

First-round co-leader Adam Scott rounded out his week with 68 for a share of 17th while fellow Australians Aaron Baddeley (71) and Rhein Gibson (73) finished in a tie for 33rd.

Rory McIlroy slammed the European Tour after the final round at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews on Sunday, saying courses were often too easy to properly test the world's best players.

McIlroy's frustration boiled over after he shot 15 under par in the pro-am tournament played on three great Scottish links, the St Andrews Old Course, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns.

Despite his impressive score, the Northern Irishman finished back in the pack in a tie for 26th.

"I'm sort of honestly sick of coming back over to the European Tour and shooting 15 under par and finishing 30th," the world No.2 told reporters.

"I don't think the courses are set up hard enough. There's no penalties for bad shots. It's tough when you come back when it's like that. I don't feel like good golf is regarded as well as it could be."

McIlroy was previously disappointed by the set up at the Scottish Open at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick in July.

He shot 13 under par that week and finished equal 34th.

"It's not a good test," he said.

Wind is usually the best defence for links courses, but both tournaments were played in fairly calm conditions.

It remains to be seen whether McIlroy's latest frustration affects his European Tour schedule.

He almost quit the tour this year to focus solely on the US-based PGA Tour, but subsequently decided to play enough tournaments to maintain his membership and remain eligible for Ryder Cup selection.

McIlroy has played five times in Europe this year, including the British Open.

"I think if The European Tour want to put forth a really good product, the golf courses and set-ups need to be tougher," said the four-times major champion.