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Adam Scott has left himself plenty of weekend work in his chase of the US PGA Championship leaders after a lacklustre second round at golf's first major of 2020.

Scott teed off on day two just three shots off the pace but an even-par 70 kept the Australian at two under.

The former Masters winner is six strokes behind Chinese halfway leader Haotong Li, who fired a brilliant 65 to set the pace at eight under.

Playing his first tournament in five months, Scott teed off the 10th hole and opened with a birdie to make the turn at one under the card.

But he came unstuck on TPC Harding Park's front nine with a lone birdie nullified by two bogeys.

"It was a bit of a grind," Scott said.

Scott blames an uncharacteristically poor display with his irons.

The 14-time US Tour winner was hot off the tee, hitting 10 of 14 fairways, but hit only 12 greens.

"I just couldn't get it in there close enough to have really good looks at birdie, and I missed a few extra greens from the fairway, which is kind of not really my style," the usually smooth-swinging Scott said.

"I'm definitely going to have to find my rhythm with my irons over the weekend."

Scott knows he will have to make big moves in the third round to give himself any hope of going on to win a second career major to add to his 2013 Masters triumph at Augusta.

But he can see huge momentum swings over the weekend rounds given thick rough and tricky tee shots at TPC Harding Park can bring leaders undone.

"If you play well like Tommy Fleetwood (64) today, you can make up (ground)," he said.

"I'm going to need a really good round tomorrow, really solid stuff to put myself in with a chance.

"Two solid rounds over the weekend could go a long way.

"I don't think you really have to change my game plan; I just need to hit my irons in on the lines I'm looking at and I've got to execute a bit better to be honest.

"I drove it good, so I feel good about that, and if I can get my irons going on the range this (afternoon) and wake up with that same feeling tomorrow, I can get a few more birdies happening."

Siblings Ryan and Gabi Ruffels are spearheading a hot day for Australian professional and amateur golfers across the world.

While most of the golf world's attention is on the US PGA Championship, where Jason Day was in major contention, the Ruffels, as well as siblings Minjee and Min Woo Lee, are in vying at their respective tournaments.

Korn Ferry Tour pro Ruffels shot a stunning second-round 63, featuring eight birdies and no bogeys, at the Portland Open.

Former world junior champion Ruffels is one shot behind the lead at the secondary circuit event at North Plains, Oregon.

It comes a week after the 22-year-old squandered a two-shot lead going into the final round of the Korn Ferry Tour event in Omaha where he was chasing his first win.

Ruffels' younger sister Gabi has reached the quarter-finals of the US Women's Amateur, which she won last year becoming the first Australian to do so.

Ruffels defeated Teresa Toscano Borrero 4 and 2 after winning four of the last five holes.

The 19-year-old daughter of former tennis stars Ray Ruffels and AnnaMaria Fernandez is aiming to become the first player since Danielle Kang (2010-11) to successfully defend her title

Across the Atlantic, Perth's Min Woo Lee sits fourth in the English Championship after a 67 to go with his opening 64 in Hertfordshire.

The former US Junior winner sits at 11 under, three shots from the lead,. Lee's fellow Australian Jason Scrivener (69) also remains inside the top 20 in that tournament.

Big-hitting Lee is considered the future of Australian men's golf having won who the Victorian Open earlier this year.

His elder sister, LPGA Tour winner Minjee Lee, is in contention yet again at the Marathon Classic in Ohio having fired a second round of 67 to be five shots off the pace after 36 holes.

US PGA Championship contender Jason Day predicts one of golf's big names will win the first major of 2020 but China's Haotong Li threatens to upstage them all during the closing rounds in California.

World No.114 Li was so surprised to have rocketed past Australia's overnight co-leader Day and into the halfway lead that he was shown on the TV broadcast practising on the range five hours after shooting 65.

Li sets the pace at eight-under-par after two rounds at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco while Day (69) is just two shots behind.

"I had no confidence coming in," Li said. "Yeah, I didn't even (think) I could play like this this week."

Day is joined in a share of second by big names such as two-time defending champion Brooks Koepka (68), England's Justin Rose (68) and Tommy Fleetwood (64), as well as American Daniel Berger (67) and France's Mike Lorenzo-Vera (68).

Day, the 2105 PGA champion, flirted with a low score but a bogey at the ninth and double-bogey 6 at the 12th held him back.

"Twelve was a mess but, overall, I gave myself plenty of opportunities coming in and I just didn't capitalise on them," Day said.

"But to walk off beating the golf course, shooting 69, I was pleased."

Perhaps fuelled by poor recent form or the desire to become China's first male major winner, Li was shown on the practice putting green at 5pm local time when he had finished his round at 12.08pm.

"I know the guy likes to practice, but man, it's a major week," Day joked.

"Hopefully he knows what he's doing and I'm sure he does because he's obviously playing better than us."

Looking towards the final two rounds, Day is more concerned with the heavy hitters lurking such as long-hitting Koepka.

World No.6 Koepka is aiming to become the first golfer since 1926 to win three successive PGA Championships.

Power-hitters Cameron Champ (five under), Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele (four under) are also within reach.

"It's a big-boy golf course," Day said.

"It's a major championship and a lot of the guys feel a lot more pressure, "That separates (the top players from the rest)."

However, Day is confident he can keep up as he chases an elusive second major championship win.

"The game feels good; if I can shoot a couple more (rounds in the 60s) on Saturday and Sunday, I (should) be there on Sunday in contention," he said.

Meanwhile, four-time PGA champion Tiger Woods dropped two shots with a 72 leaving him at even par.

Australia's Cameron Smith (69) was also even par and was the only other Australian to make the 36-hole cut, which fell at one over.

Marc Leishman bogeyed his last two holes for a 72 to be two over, while Lucas Herbert (70, three over) and Matt Jones (75, five over) also missed the cut.

Adam Scott admits he might not be as long as a bulked-up playing partner Bryson DeChambeau but says his own length off the tee is why he keeps contending in the US PGA Championship.

Scott fired a solid opening round at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco with a 68 leaving him in contention at two-under-par, just three shots behind clubhouse co-leader and fellow Australian Jason Day.

Day's 65 was later matched by American Brendon Todd.

It was Scott's first competitive round since March and there were fears Scott might be rusty for the first major of 2020.

The former world No.1 mixed three birdies with three bogeys on the front side before picking up two shots coming home.

"I'm very happy with my round. It wasn't really rusty, only a little bit," Scott said.

"If I can just correct that for tomorrow and get three or four more tee shots in the fairway, I can create some opportunities."

Scott witnessed a bizarre incident on Thursday when DeChambeau's unprecedented swing speed caused the shaft in his driver to snap shortly after his tee shot at the seventh hole.

DeChambeau, who has added 10kg of muscle to his frame and significantly increased his driving distance in the past year, was allowed by a rules official to have a team member in the gallery fetch a new shaft from his car to replace it.

That was because the damage was caused in the process of hitting a shot.

Scott is one of the US PGA Tour's longer hitters but joked the media hype around DeChambeau's power was underwhelming in person.

"He's hitting it long; there's no doubt about it," Scott said after his round.

"Not to, like, put him down but I thought it was going to be longer (laughter). There's been so much build-up, me reading the news and listening to him and watching him play, I thought I was going to see like one of those long-drive guys.

"Fortunately, I still hit it long enough."

Scott is chasing a second career major title to go with his 2013 Masters triumph.

Recent form suggests that win could come at the PGA Championship, where he has finished third and eighth in the past two editions.

The US PGA Championship is renowned as the major that most favours big bombers, such as two-time defending champion Brooks Koepka.

But 40-year-old Scott knows he can still match it with the heavy hitters and combine it with his superb iron play.

"The (PGA Championship) courses have suited me the last couple years," Scott said. "They are difficult, but if you drive it well and you're solid with your irons and you can (contend)."

Australian golfers Jason Scrivener and Min Woo Lee have made a bright start to the EGPA's English Championship to sit one shot off the lead after the opening round.

Scrivener and Lee carded seven-under 64 to trail surprise leader Cormin Sharvin in Hertfordshire.

The first player in the clubhouse to card 64 as he opened up with a birdie at the second, Scrivener had to wait until the seventh to pick up his second shot, which sparked a hat-trick of gains to reach the turn at four under.

Scrivener made further inroads at the 12th and 14th to move to six under before a 20 foot birdie putt at the next placed him alongside leader Adrian Otaegui, who then left the Australian on his own at the top when he bogeyed the 17th hole.

He was unlucky not to extend his lead after narrowly missing birdie attempts at the last two holes, but he was joined at the summit by compatriot Lee.

Lee, who missed the cut at the first two legs of the six-week UK swing, made a superb run of birdies around the turn to move into contention.

The 22-year-old picked up two shots and carded a bogey in his first four holes before his birdie trail began at the eighth and finished at the 12th to surge up to six under.

He held his ground to the 18th before sinking his eighth birdie of the day to reach seven under.

Queensland's Maverick Antcliff is two shots behind his fellow Australians after shooting 66 while Jake McLeod is two under and Scott Hend returned an even-par 71.

Tiger Woods says the absence of an adoring and raucous crowd at the PGA Championship was part of the "new normal" for the sport, which is holding its first major without any fans in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Woods, who is playing for just the second time since the PGA Tour returned to action in mid-June, shot an opening round two-under 68 at an eerily quiet TPC Harding Park in San Francisco.

"Well, that's our new normal," he told reporters.

"It's just the way it is and it's going to be for a while ... the energy is different."

On the plus side, he said not being followed around by noisy fans made it easier to focus.

That showed in his putting, which included a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-four 13th that drew applause and some hoots from a group of grounds crew.

"It's just different. That's probably the only way to say it," he said.

"This is what we're going to have to get used to in the near future and for probably for a while."

Every player and caddie underwent coronavirus testing before the tournament and media are required to wear face coverings and maintain social distance at the event, which was originally scheduled to be held in May.

Woods is looking to win his 16th major, fifth PGA Championship and record-breaking 83rd PGA Tour victory at the lake side course on the west side of San Francisco.

Woods, who went out in the morning wave alongside world No.1 Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy, did not appear bothered by the coastal fog and cooler conditions as he mixed five birdies and three bogeys.

He is using a new, longer putter at the event, which he said helps take pressure off his surgically-repaired back, allowing him to practice for longer.

"Most of the guys on the Champions Tour have gone to longer putters as they have gotten older, because it's easier to bend over, or not bend over," the 44-year-old said with a smile.

"And so this putter is just a little bit longer and I've been able to spend a little bit more time putting."

Jason Day says his self-belief has returned after blitzing his way into a share of the US PGA Championship lead during an exciting start for the Australian contingent at golf's first major of 2020.

With no crowds in attendance, 2015 PGA champion Day carded a five-under-par 65 and is tied with American Brendon Todd at San Francisco's TPC Harding Park.

Four of Day's countrymen are within six shots of his lead after fellow major winner and former world No.1 Adam Scott (68), Matt Jones, Marc Leishman (70) and Cameron Smith (71) climbed into contention.

Day and Todd will begin Saturday's (AEST) second round sharing a one-shot lead over a large group at four under headlined by two-time defending champion Brooks Koepka, Germany's former PGA Championship winner Martin Kaymer, two-time major winner Zach Johnson and fellow former world No.1 Justin Rose.

Tiger Woods, searching for his 16th career major, negotiated Harding Park's thick rough for a 68 to join Scott at two under.

Lathered in Deep Heat to protect his ailing back from northern California's cool temperatures, Day birdied his last hole for a brilliant bogey-free start to the event he also owns a runner-up at in 2016.

Day's 65 was the lowest opening round of his US PGA Championship career and equal-lowest overall.

"I drove it really nicely and, when I was out of position, I left myself on the right side of the fairways," Day said.

Day's hot start to the PGA Championship comes as no surprise given he posted top-10s in each of the three US PGA Tour events leading into this major. It was his first trio of consecutive top-10s on the US Tour since 2016.

The 12-time US Tour has struggled in recent years but feels ready to match it the world's best on golf's biggest stage.

"I feel like the game is slowly coming around and the confidence is coming around because I'm starting to see the results," he said.

Playing his first tournament since March, a rusty Scott mixed three birdies with three bogeys on the front side before picking up two shots coming home.

Like Day, Scott is chasing a second career major title to go with his 2013 Masters triumph.

Recent form suggests that win could come at the PGA Championship, where he has finished third and eighth in the past two editions.

"The (PGA Championship) courses have suited me the last couple years," Scott said. "They are difficult, but if you drive it well and you're solid with your irons and you can (contend). Fortunately, I still hit it long enough."

It was just the second tournament since February for four-time PGA champion Woods, but the 44-year-old dismissed any concerns of rust for the majors season as he seeks a fifth PGA Championship win.

"I felt that practice sessions (at home) have been very good," Woods said. "They have been very intense, so there was no reason why I can't (hit the ground running)."

Big-name former PGA champions Rory McIlroy (70) and world No.1 Justin Thomas (71) are also in the mix.

Rounding out the Australian contingent is Lucas Herbert (73).

Adam Scott has opened up on the sacrifices he has made juggling family commitments with the pressures of elite golf and is determined to reward his clan with a second major championship victory.

The former world No.1, who won the US PGA Tour's Genesis Invitational in February, has bases in Australia, the Bahamas and Switzerland.

He travelled to the US in early July to prepare for this week's US PGA Championship and will remain in America until after September's US Open.

The 40-year-old admits nine weeks without his wife, Marie, and their two children, Bo Vera and Byron, will be tough given they are in Switzerland.

"Everyone from my parents, who have always been there, to my wife and kids, they have all made a lot of sacrifices," world No.9 Scott told AAP.

"The kids don't grasp that yet, but my wife makes a lots of sacrifices. They go long periods without seeing me."

Scott commuted to the US from Australia through the 2017 US PGA Tour season while Marie was pregnant with their son Byron due to concerns about the Zika virus in the Bahamas.

In March, 14-time US Tour winner Scott took the family back to Australia for four months while golf was cancelled.

With COVID-19 significantly altering travel plans this year, Scott and his family will remain in Switzerland until at least the end of 2020.

He will obtain special exemptions to return to Switzerland and then come back to the US for November's Masters at Augusta National.

Scott says the back and forth adds motivation to his bid for an elusive second major title to go with the historic 2013 Masters win.

"Generally, as a golfer I'm selfish anyway, so I want to win it for myself but with any achievement I hope my family and my team get some satisfaction out of it," Scott said.

"I want to make it all worthwhile for everybody because I'm also a person who likes to please those close to me.

"My family and my team can see how much more I still want out of my career, so I think that's why they're prepared to make these sacrifices.

"I treat it seriously and I don't think they'd make those sacrifices if I wasn't this focussed.

"It's exciting for me to think about playing seven majors in the next 11 months, especially at this point in my career.

"I'd love to win a second major championship. It's all I focus on, really."

Scott is one of just three golfers at the 156-player PGA Championship to have played the 2005 World Golf Championships American Express, the 2009 Presidents Cup and the 2015 WGC Match Play at TPC Harding Park.

Scott will be joined at the PGA by fellow Australians Jason Day, Marc Leishman, Cameron Smith, Matt Jones and Lucas Herbert.

AUSTRALIAN TEE TIMES FOR FRIDAY'S FIRST ROUND (AEST)

12.38am: Jason Day, Martin Kaymer (GER), Jason Dufner (USA)

6.31am: Matt Jones, Jazz Janewattananond (THA), Kevin Streelman (USA)

6.47am: Adam Scott, Rickie Fowler (USA), Bryson DeChambeau (USA)

6.53am: Cameron Smith, Denny McCarthy (USA), Cameron Champ (USA)

7.20am Friday: Marc Leishman, Matt Kuchar (USA), Matt Wallace (ENG)

7.26am: Lucas Herbert, Judd Gibb (USA), Mark Hubbard (USA)

NOTABLES

1.33am: Tiger Woods (USA), Rory McIlroy (IRE), Justin Thomas (USA)

5.11am: Brooks Koepka (USA), Gary Woodland (USA), Shane Lowry (IRE)

6.58am: Jon Rahm (ESP), Phil Mickelson (USA), Sergio Garcia (ESP)

Armed with a Sony PlayStation and a temporary home in Chicago, rising star Lucas Herbert hopes to use the US PGA Championship as a springboard onto the lucrative American golf circuit.

European Tour player Herbert has begun a three-month stint in the US that began with last week's World Golf Championships event in Tennessee before major starts at this week's PGA Championship in California and next month's US Open in New York.

Herbert admits his 12-week trip feels slower than usual given the US PGA Tour's COVID-19 restrictions, but the 24-year-old brought his trusty video game console and a stack of games to fill the downtime.

"I take my PlayStation everywhere I go with me and it's proving useful given how much extra time we're spending in hotel rooms," Herbert told AAP.

"I have a disc wallet full of games and right now I'm getting stuck into NHL; I'm trying to take my team into the Stanley Cup playoffs."

Herbert will make his fourth major championship start at San Francisco's TPC Harding Park.

The Bendigo native has played a US Open, a British Open and last year's PGA and is eager to test his prodigious talent again on golf's biggest stage.

"I'd love to finish in the top 30 this week," said Herbert, whose best major finish to date is a tie for 51st at the 2018 British Open.

"I haven't been able to crack into that bracket because I haven't done that in the majors I've played.

"It's an amazing opportunity to test my game against the world's best."

Herbert won the European Tour's prestigious Dubai Desert Classic in January and is now hungry to take the next step onto the US PGA Tour.

It's why he has set himself up in Chicago for the long breaks between major championship starts.

"Chicago is a great city and I've been staying with friends and practising at this course, Beverley Country Club, who have been great in letting me prepare there," he said.

"The standard of golf you have to play on the PGA Tour is another level up and I love the challenge of having to bring my absolute best.

"A a lot of my game sets up well for American golf, with driving and putting being my strengths, but there are areas I need to improve on to make it here.

"Whenever I do make it onto this tour, I want to be competitive."

Herbert will tee off in round one of the PGA Championship on Friday at 0726 AEST with club professional Judd Gibb and fellow American Mark Hubbard.

Discontent world No.1 Justin Thomas is aiming to finally capture an elusive second major title at the PGA Championship in San Francisco this week.

The 27-year-old American, whose maiden major title came at the 2017 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, said he felt no satisfaction getting a major under his belt early in his career.

"I could argue that I should have got it sooner," he told reporters at TPC Harding Park. "I would definitely say I've underachieved, saying I've only had one so far in my career.

"I've felt almost getting the second one has been harder than the first one."

Thomas has been in form this year, winning three PGA Tour events including last week's FedEx St Jude Invitational in Memphis to take the world No.1 spot from Jon Rahm.

Thomas and twice defending champion Brooks Koepka are the favourites to hoist the Wanamaker Trophy on Sunday.

He held the top spot for four weeks in 2018 and said he hoped to extend his reign a bit longer this time.

"I've got myself to the point now where I do have it back, which is an awesome feeling," said Thomas.

"It is great. But now it's just about trying to separate it and see how long you can hold it. But it's not like I'm out here playing this week to prove my number one in the world ranking or to try and grow my lead.

"I'm out here for one reason, it's just to try to win a golf tournament. It just happens to be a PGA Championship and the ranking is what it is."

Thomas will be grouped with 15-time major winner Tiger Woods and four-time major champion Rory McIlroy on Thursday and Friday.