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Jason Day has ended his 20-year partnership with golf coach Colin Swatton.

The former world No.1, now ranked 43, says he intends to work on his own after splitting with his mentor.

"It's been a long and successful road working with Col," Day told PGATOUR.com on Wednesday ahead of this week's World Golf Championships-FedEx St Jude Invitational.

"I have just decided I want to make a change and work on my own as it pertains to my golf swing."

Swatton took the Queenslander under his wing as a 12-year-old at a golf boarding school not long after the teenager lost his father to cancer.

"Col has been way more than just a caddie and coach to me. I am forever grateful for all he has done for my golf and his continued friendship," the 32-year-old said.

Swatton said he would "cherish the ride" with Day, who won the 2015 PGA Championship as he rose to the top ranking.

"It's been a privilege to work with Jason since his childhood and I'll always cherish the ride we've shared that took us all the way to the top of the golf world," Swatton said.

Day has not won on tour since 2018 and battled chronic back issues but after slipping outside the world top 50 earlier this year has climbed back with back-to-back top 10 finishes.

He said the results had boosted his confidence.

"My game feels like it is coming together at the right time so I'm looking forward to trying to maintain this momentum," Day told the website.

Rory McIlroy says he may not return to Europe from the United States this year due to the risks associated with travelling amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

McIlroy is in the field for the PGA Tour's WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational this week in Memphis, Tennessee, in the lead-up to 2020's first major - the PGA Championship at Harding Park from August 6.

The world No.2 will play the US Open in September but has hinted he may not take part in the European Tour's Scottish Open or BMW PGA Championship in October.

"I honestly don't know if I see myself going back to Europe this year," McIlroy said.

"I don't know if I want to travel, I don't know if I want to be exposed to more things and more people.

"I'm sort of taking it week by week.

"I've got my schedule planned up until the US Open, which is obviously a couple weeks after the Tour Championship, and then I honestly have no idea what I'm going to do after that."

McIlroy said while he understood why Lee Westwood chose not to travel to San Francisco for the PGA Championship, he would return to Europe if there was a major on the schedule.

This year's British Open, which was due to be held at Royal St George's in Kent this month, was cancelled due to the pandemic.

"I understand their plight," the Northern Irishman said.

"I was just saying I don't know if I would travel in the fall and go and play some of these other events in Europe, but if it was a major championship, it would probably be different.

The European Tour returned this month with back-to-back events in Austria, while the British Masters last week was the first of six tournaments on the 'UK Swing'.

The US Open will be played without spectators in attendance at Winged Foot in September, tournament organisers have confirmed.

The tournament is the second major that won't have crowds spectators after organisers confirmed last month that next week's PGA Championship in San Francisco, California would go ahead without fans.

The US Golf Association announced on April 6 that the Open, which was scheduled to be held from June 18-21, had been postponed to September 17-20. Traditional qualifying events were cancelled in June.

USGA chief executive Mike Davis said in a statement on Wednesday: "Following months of consultation and scenario planning with local and state health officials, we have jointly decided that hosting the U.S. Open without spectators will provide the best opportunity to conduct the championship safely for all involved.

"We will miss the excitement of the fans and what their presence brings to the championship. We look forward to welcoming them again to future US Opens.

"We are thankful to all of the local and state officials as well as the members and staff at Winged Foot Golf Club who worked so hard to try to help us accomplish our goal of hosting fans this year.

"We appreciate all of their efforts and while we are disappointed, we know it was the right decision to make for the community and for the players."

Augusta National has yet to announce whether fans will be allowed on site for the Masters, which has been switched from April to November 12-15.

Adam Scott is treating the long-awaited PGA Championship as a "prize fight" and has no regrets about joining Tiger Woods in skipping this week's World Golf Championships event in Memphis, Tennessee.

Scott is the only player in the world's top 10 who will not use the elite no-cut WGC as a tune-up for the year's first major, which starts next week at California's TPC Harding Park.

Many expected Australia's world No.9 to contest the $US10.5 million WGC tournament at the TPC Southwind course given he has not played a PGA Tour event since the US circuit was suspended in March.

But the 2013 Masters winner says it won't hurt his chances of capturing an elusive second major victory.

"I don't often play the week before majors anyway," Scott told AAP.

"I like that lead-in week to be on my schedule, not on tee times and weather and all those factors which could happen over seven days at Memphis."

Instead, Scott is sweating it out in North Carolina, practising at a golf resort under the watch of coach Brad Malone, caddie John Limanti and trainer David Darbyshire.

"It's bloody hot, but me, John, Brad and Darbs have created our own bubble and we've been pushing each other along," Scott said.

"We're taking the mentality that I'm coming up to the prize fight in boxing, after months of anticipation and preparation, and there's one fight coming up and that's the PGA Championship.

"We're going in to do battle to try and win the PGA."

While Scott and 15-times major winner Woods are out, the 78-player WGC field will still include 45 of the world's top 50 golfers.

Marc Leishman, Jason Day, Cameron Smith, Matt Jones and Lucas Herbert will make up the Australian contingent at TPC Southwind.

Day and Leishman have high hopes this week.

Former world No.1 Day is coming off consecutive top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour while world No.18 Leishman finished third at last year's WGC in Memphis.

"TPC Southwind is a course I really feel suits my game because you have to shape the ball both ways and I want to show some good form before the PGA Championship, so there's extra motivation," Leishman told AAP.

Headlining the WGC event are defending champion Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy and new world No.1 Jon Rahm.

The Australian Open golf championship won't be staged this year, but organisers still hope it can be played this summer.

The 105th Australian Open - the fifth-oldest national championship in professional golf - was to have been hosted at Melbourne's Kingston Heath course in November.

Golf Australia says health concerns and uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic have caused a postponement and the Open may now be played there sometime between January and March.

While health concerns were the major reason for the move, Golf Australia operations manager Simon Brookhouse admitted there was also concerned they wouldn't be able to attract a top-line field with the global golf calendar pushed back following its shutdown.

"When you consider the rescheduled major championships, particularly the Masters from 12-15 November, assembling the customary world-class field was also becoming increasingly difficult," Brookhouse said.

"Unfortunately, it is not a simple matter of whether or not we could co-ordinate any international stars to visit. The uncertainty of the quarantine requirements for any players coming from outside Australia needed to be considered.

"These requirements would undoubtedly have an impact on our homegrown heroes before they would be able to consider playing, too.

"With all that in mind, we would like to think we could still play the Australian Open this summer and will work with the host, Melbourne's Kingston Heath Golf Club, to find a date suitable for all.

"However it may have to be in the January-March 2021 window with so many variables still to play out."

The decision means the Australian All Abilities Championship, which features the top 12 players on the World Rankings for Golfers with a Disability, will also be delayed as the tournament is played as part of the Australian Open field.

Michael Thompson birdied two of the last three holes on Sunday to claim and a two-stroke victory in the 3M Open, finishing off his second PGA Tour win seven years after his first.

Thompson carded a final round 4-under 67 and finished at 19-under 265 at TPC Twin Cities.

Adam Long fired a 64 to hold the clubhouse lead but eventually had to be content with second.

Richy Werenski, who shared the lead with Thompson after both Friday and Saturday, had a 70 to end the week in a nine-way tie for third at 16-under.

Tony Finau finished in that group after a 68. He was the only one among the five world top-30 players in the field to reach the weekend, far outperforming Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Tommy Fleetwood and Paul Casey.

Australian Cameron Davis had four birdies and a bogey to close with a 68 and finish at 14-under in a share for 12th.

The 25-year-old has had two top-10 finishes this year and added $127,050 ($A180,000) to his earnings - to take his season's prize money beyond $675,000 ($A950,000).

Nobody throughout the windy and muggy week in Minnesota was steadier than Thompson, who rocketed up to 39th in the FedEx Cup standings on the way to Tennessee for the World Golf Championships event.

He deftly steered around the water danger on the 18th, landing his approach on the back of the green within 15 feet.

With Long in the clubhouse, having played five groups ahead, Thompson had two putts to win.

The 35-year-old needed only one, bending backward and thrusting both of his arms straight up in the air after the ball dropped in the cup in a celebration subdued a bit by the absence of spectators due to the pandemic.

"It has been a long time," an emotional Thompson said.

"I'm really sad my wife and kids aren't here to celebrate this with me. I can't wait to see them.

"Babe, I love you."

For this win, Thompson took home $1.188 million ($A1.7m) and secured his future on tour for two years.

Plus he is eligible to compete at next month's PGA Championship in San Francisco.

"That's what makes this game so unbelievable is that we have to play for our job every year," he said.

Australian Cameron Davis has finished strongly to be in contention for a maiden US PGA Tour victory going into the final round of the 3M Open in Minnesota.

Davis reeled off a trio of birdies starting on the 14th to grind out a two-under 69 third round on Saturday leaving him tied sixth, four shots behind joint leaders Michael Thompson and Richy Werenski.

His round included six birdes and four bogeys.

The 25-year-old Sydneysider is on track for his best finish on the tour - his best so far is a tie for eighth at the Honda Classic in March.

It is a welcome return to form for the 2017 Australian Open champion who had missed the cut in his four tournaments since the season restarted in June.

Davis had two top-10 finishes earlier this season before the hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Americans Thompson and Werenski started moving day at TPC Twin Cities, sharing the lead and that's where they remained after an action-packed 18 holes.

They travelled on vastly different paths to each shoot three-under 68 before walking together to the clubhouse even again at 15-under-par 198.

They are two shots clear of South African Charl Schwartzel (66) and world No.17 Tony Finau (69).

Max Homa posted a sizzling seven-under 64 to be alone in fifth at 12-under.

Thompson started strongly and the 35-year-old - whose only career tour win was at the Honda Classic in Florida in 2013 - had a four-stroke lead until the 15th.

He made his only bogey of the day on the 17th but remains confident of getting the job done on Sunday without the added pressure of playing a final round in front of a crowd - with fans locked out due to COVID-19 restrictions.

"It kind of allows me to keep my emotions even keel. That's kind of the way I play golf. That's what I like to do on the golf course," Thompson said.

Werenski birdied the 15th, 16th and 18th to rejoin Thompson for the lead and boost his hopes of a first PGA Tour title.

"It's definitely good to have a strong finish like that," the 28-year-old Werenski said.

"I did a good job of just kind of hanging in there, grinding along, giving myself looks.

"There's still a lot of golf left."

Australian Cameron Davis sits three shots behind Americans Michael Thompson and Richy Werenski on the 3M Open leaderboard going onto the weekend.

Tony Finau and Talor Gooch climbed to within a stroke of their compatriots, followed by Xinjun Zhang on 10-under.

Davis was tied with defending champion Matthew Wolff at the second round on nine-under, while Tour stars Brooks Koepka and Tommy Fleetwood both missed the cut.

In warmer and windier conditions on the quiet, spectator-free TPC Twin Cities course, the scores crept up after Werenski led the first-round pack with an eight-under 63.

The 24-year-old, who's winless on the PGA Tour, followed up with a 67.

Thompson caught him with a 66, which was the same score posted by Davis in his round that featured six birdies.

Thompson moved even with Werenski on the 194-yard 17th hole, landing landed his tee shot on the back of the green and then made a 20-foot putt for birdie.

"The big thing is just try not to overpower the golf course, stay within myself, make good, comfortable swings," Thompson said.

The good ones just didn't get any applause.

"It's weird. Obviously I wish fans were able to come out here, but I would say I'm almost kind of used to it now. It's been a few weeks of this," Werenski said.

Davis will be joined on the weekend by fellow Australian Aaron Baddeley, who survived the cut at three-under.

Italy's Renato Paratore is in position to join one of golf's most exclusive clubs after maintaining his flawless form at the British Masters.

Paratore carded a bogey-free round of 66 at Close House on Friday and has not dropped a single shot in the first 54 holes of the European Tour's full return to action for the first time since early March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The 23-year-old enjoys a one-shot lead over South Africa's Justin Harding, who also returned a 66 on a day of low scoring, and could become the first player to win a European Tour event without a bogey since Jesper Parnevik in the 1995 Scandinavian Masters.

JT Poston won the Wyndham Championship on the PGA Tour last year without dropping a shot, the first player since Lee Trevino to do so in 1974.

"It's a good thing to be in contention and I'll just keep trying to play like this," said Paratore, who won the Nordea Masters in 2017.

"I had a month after lockdown ended to practice and fortunately I live in Dubai and played a lot of rounds with a friend of mine, Guido Migliozzi, who also plays on the Tour.

"It's good to practice with someone at the same level as you to keep your game sharp."

Denmark's Rasmus Hojgaard is two shots off the lead after also shooting 66, with England's Dale Whitnell another stroke adrift following a 68.

Paratore held a one-shot lead overnight but had been overtaken before he could hit a ball in anger thanks to a stunning round from England's Sam Horsfield, whose 61 set a new course record.

Horsfield only made the halfway cut with a shot to spare but raced to the turn in 30 with four birdies and an eagle and also eagled the 10th to raise the prospect of just the second 59 in European Tour history.

A run of five straight pars effectively put that out of reach but he nevertheless finished the round in style with a birdie on the 16th and a remarkable third eagle of the day on the par-five 17th.

Horsfield, who is based in Florida and revealed his best friend had tested positive for Covid-19 during the pandemic, is seeking a first European Tour title and believes he is up to the task.

Australians Jason Scrivener and Jake McLeod are both 13 shots off the lead and three-under overall after making par in the third round.

However, tournament host and club member Lee Westwood, who was in the first group out at 7.55am, was unable to get in on the act and struggled to a 72 to slip back to level par.

Former courier Dale Whitnell made an eagle and five birdies for a seven-under 64 in the second round of the British Masters on Thursday.

Whitnell is 10-under par at the halfway stage, a shot behind Italian leader Renato Paratore (66), on the European Tour's full return to action at Close House Golf Course.

The 31-year-old Whitnell played on the 2009 Walker Cup team alongside Tommy Fleetwood, but struggled to establish himself in the professional ranks and was forced to take on a courier job for 10 months to make ends meet.

A victory on the Portugal Pro Golf Tour earned him five Challenge Tour invites in 2019 and he won the KPMG Trophy last September before claiming his European Tour card from the qualifying school.

"I've been working hard on my game and this course suits me because it's a little bit fiddly in places," said Whitnell, who had not earned anything from five events in 2020 before the circuit shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"The peaks and troughs of the golf profession are very interesting. You've just got to try to deal with it the best you can," Whitnell said. "I love the game, I wouldn't be here if I didn't and my amateur career speaks for itself."

South Africa's Justin Harding fired a brilliant 63, the lowest round of the week so far, to sit alongside Whitnell on 10-under.

Overnight leader David Law (69), Calum Hill (66), Ashley Chesters (66) and Rasmus Hojgaard (67) are a stroke further back.

Australia's Jason Scrivener and Jake McLeod are eight shots behind Paratore.

Tournament host and club member Lee Westwood was in danger of making an early exit after a double bogey on the first, but the 47-year-old fought back to shoot 71 and make the cut on the mark of one- under.

Miguel Angel Jimenez (71), making his 706th appearance on the European Tour to tie the record of Sam Torrance, is tied for 35th on three-under.