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With six birdies and a lonesome bogey, Aaron Baddeley is in the mix after the first round of the PGA's 3M Open in Minnesota.

Baddeley's five-under-par 66 leaves him in a tie for 10th, three behind leader Richy Werenski at the TPC Twin Cities course.

It could have been even better for the Victorian, who blitzed the front nine with a four-under 31.

Heading to the last two holes, Baddeley was poised to close the gap on Werenski with the par-five 18th still to come.

But a bogey on 17 stymied his progress before bouncing back with birdie on the last hole.

Davis, one behind Baddeley, announced his arrival with opening birdies.

A bogey on the fifth hole was his only blotch for the day, with three birdies on the back nine raising his spirits ahead of Friday's second round.

Fellow Australians John Sendon and Rhein Gibson finished one-over, but Cameron Percy (three-over) and Greg Chalmers (six-over) will have to shoot really low to make the cut.

Werenski, in search of his first PGA Tour victory, birdied the final hole to grab a one-shot lead from Michael Thompson.

"I just played solid golf. The tee ball wasn't as good as I wanted it to be, but found some fairways and took advantage with my irons," said Werenski, who hit 14 of 18 greens in regulation. "My irons were really good."

Defending champion Matthew Wolff and Tony Finau are among a group of six golfers two shots off the pace.

World No.4 Dustin Johnson (78), fresh off a missed cut last week, withdrew with a back injury shortly after a round that came apart over a three-hole stretch where he went bogey, double-bogey and quadruple-bogey.

"I feel like I'm driving it well, but the iron play, first six or seven holes hit it close and then the rest of the day kind of struggled a little bit with iron play," said Johnson.

A brilliant burst of scoring vaulted Scotland's David Law to the top of the leaderboard as the European Tour enjoyed a successful, if somewhat surreal, return to action at the British Masters.

Law began his first round at Close House with five straight pars but then birdied the next five holes in a row, produced a brilliant up and down from thick rough to save par on the 11th and birdied the 12th and 13th as well.

The resulting seven-under-par 64 left the 29-year-old shot ahead of Oliver Fisher, Garrick Porteous and Renato Paratore, with 2018 winner Eddie Pepperell among those two shots further back at the Newcastle course.

Australians Scott Hend and Jake McLeod are in a group sharing 29th place after posting two-under rounds of 69, with countrymen Maverick Antcliff and Jason Scrivener a shot back.

Law had missed five cuts in seven events in 2020, including four in a row before the sport shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, although a recent course-record 60 at Hazlehead had suggested a return to the sort of form which saw him win the ISPS Handa Vic Open in February 2019.

"I did not really know what to expect and it's probably (about having) a mindset of acceptance," Law said.

"You need to know it might not go your way this week. It's only one round but it's a very positive start.

All players, caddies and officials were tested before travelling to the venue and again when arriving on site, with no reported positives so far. Face masks are required indoors and social distancing measures observed.

One of the most impressive rounds of the day came from former US Open champion Michael Campbell, who admitted he was "completely flabbergasted" with an opening 68.

Campbell has not made a cut on the European Tour since 2013 as he struggled with a foot injury and loss of form, but the 51-year-old New Zealander rolled back the years with the help of his caddie, his 21-year-old son Thomas.

"My expectations were pretty much none," Campbell said. "I wanted to get out here and enjoy myself with my son Thomas. When I had my success from 1999 to 2005 he was only seven, so he can't remember.

"My main focus is on the Champions Tour but it's hard to get in there. I asked for 15 invites last year and got one. It doesn't mean much, being a major winner. Paul Lawrie has had exactly the same problem."

Tournament host Lee Westwood ended the day six shots off the lead .

Marc Leishman admits he's finding it tough playing tournaments without galleries as Australia's golfers step up preparations for the long-awaited, abbreviated 2020 majors season.

The US PGA Championship at San Francisco's TPC Harding Park in two weeks time is the first of three majors still going ahead and Leishman will be among six Aussies in the field.

Leishman, Adam Scott and Cameron Smith were all well primed for the majors season, having captured PGA Tour titles earlier this year, before everything shut down for 90 days due to COVID-19.

Since the resumption in June Leishman has missed the cut in two of four events and his best is tied 40th, Smith has missed three of four cuts and Scott is yet to start.

That leaves Jason Day as the form Australian, with his ties for seventh and fourth in the past two weeks.

Leishman, a five-time PGA Tour winner, says competitive rust is partly to blame for his lacklustre restart, but fan-less tournaments have not helped.

"I won't lie, it's been tough with no crowds," Leishman told AAP.

"Obviously, safety is the most important thing. But we're so used to playing in front of crowds and you do pick up a lot of energy from the fans, particularly when your score isn't going great.

"That's been the hardest thing to deal with."

He will have to get used to it as fans won't be allowed at any PGA Tour events for the rest of the season, which concludes at the Tour Championship in early September.

California health authorities have banned fans from the PGA Championship while the US Open (September 17-20 in New York) and the Masters (November 12-15 at Augusta National) have yet to announce a decision on fan attendance.

The US PGA Championship will have an Australian contingent featuring Leishman, Scott, Smith, Day, Matt Jones and Lucas Herbert.

All six are also set to compete in the World Golf Championships event in Memphis, Tennessee next week to put the final touches on their major championship preparation.

World No.9 Scott is currently practising in South Carolina ahead of what will be his first tournament since the shutdown, while European Tour winner Herbert is also in the US.

"I can't wait for the PGA; Harding Park is a course I really like and I played well there at the WGC-Match Play in 2015," Leishman said.

"It's probably my best opportunity to win one because generally PGA Championship courses don't set up well for me."

Day, the 2015 PGA Championship winner, is taking great heart from his burst of recent form.

"I'm really pleased to see my hard work starting to pay off and that has me a lot more excited for the PGA Championship, where hopefully I can pick up my second major win," Day said.

Jason Day has secured an all-important week's rest after continuing his hot form before the shortened season's three goal majors.

Day finished in a tie for fourth behind Spanish winner and new world No.1 John Rahm at the US PGA Tour's Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village - where the Australian is a member and has his home nearby.

While disappointed to close with a one-over-par 73, Day was chuffed at having posted back-to-back top-10 finishes for the first time since February last year.

Day was also delighted to rebound from an early double-bogey on the par-3 fifth hole to hang tough in brutal, major-like conditions during Sunday's final round in Ohio.

His impressive result, after a tie for seventh at last week's Workday Charity Open, lifted the 32-year-old from 58th to 44th in the world rankings, guaranteeing him a spot at the WGC-St Jude Invitational from July 30-August 2.

Just as importantly, Day - who continues to manage a chronic back injury that flared up again during the third round - can now take this week off having played six weeks in a row since the tour's resumption from the coronavirus-enforced shutdown.

He missed three of four cuts before coming good.

Day, who has also surged from 79th to 57th in the FedEx Cup standings, will be hunting a second PGA Championship title when the first major of 2020 is hosted at the TPC Harding Park course in San Francisco from August 6-9.

He finished at four under at the Memorial, five shots behind Rahm, whose closing three-over 75 was still good enough for a three-stroke victory over American Ryan Palmer (74).

A 10th professional victory helped Rahm supplant Rory McIlroy from the world No.1 ranking, making the 25-year-old only the second Spaniard after his idol Seve Ballesteros to reach golf's summit.

Englishman Matthew Fitzpatrick had a 68 for the low score of the final day to claim outright third at five under, one ahead of Day.

Australian Marc Leishman closed with a 76 for a share of 40th with playing partner Tiger Woods (76), while Cameron Smith tied for 68th after a horror final-round 79.

On the US's development circuit, Ryan Ruffels climbed inside the top 50 on the Korn Ferry Tour money list after finishing tied for 18th, his best result since February.

Harrison Endycott was tied 40th but Steven Bowditch, Jamie Arnold, Rhein Gibson, Robert Allenby, Brett Drewitt, Brett Coletta and Curtis Luck all missed the cut in Texas.

The drama was more than Jon Rahm wanted. The result was what he always imagined.

Rahm became the No.1 golfer in the world by winning the PGA Tour's Memorial Tournament on Sunday.

He had an eight-shot lead at the turn shrink to three shots with three holes to play before he hit what he called "one of the greatest shots of my life" that turned into a bogey because of a penalty.

All that mattered was that fist bump - not a handshake - with Jack Nicklaus, and taking his place alongside his idol Seve Ballesteros as the only Spaniards to reach the rankings summit in world golf.

With a two-shot penalty for his ball moving the length of a dimple on his chip-in behind the 16th green, Rahm closed with 3-over 75 to end the week at 9-under 279 and a three-shot winner over Ryan Palmer (74).

Rahm got up-and-down on the final four greens, which made his fourth PGA Tour title and 10th professional victory feel even sweeter.

"I'm incredibly proud to sit here and be the Memorial tournament champion, win an event on the PGA Tour four years in a row, No.1 one in the world," the 25-year-old said.

"There's a lot of accomplishments today that are hard to believe I've done so early in my career."

Rahm's delight was evident with a ferocious fist pump when his flop shot at the 16th green rolled into the cup.

Birdie or bogey, it was a winner, a shot that would have made Ballesteros proud.

"I still can't believe it, I'm not going to lie," Rahm told tournament host Jack Nicklaus off the 18th green.

McIlroy, whose 78 on Sunday left him a share of 32nd and 13 shots off the pace, had topped the rankings since early February.

"He deserves it," McIlroy said of Rahm.

"He's been playing great for a long time. Even the display this week, it's pretty impressive."

England's Matthew Fitzpatrick had a 68 for the low score of the final day to finish third at 5-under.

Australian Jason Day had another encouraging week, despite saying on Saturday that his troublesome back was feeling dodgy, closing with a 73 for a three-way share of fourth at 4-under.

Tiger Woods, in his first competition since February, shot 76 and tied for 40th in a quartet that included his playing partner Marc Leishman, with the Australian matching the scores of the American superstar.

As has become tradition, 18-times major champion Nicklaus was on hand to greet the event winner - this time with a fist bump for Rahm.

Nicklaus revealed earlier on Sunday that he and wife Barbara had tested positive for the coronavirus in March, and they have since tested positive for the antibodies.

While Jason Day dropped two shots in as many holes to close out his third round at the Memorial Tournament, Jon Rahm made a string of back-nine birdies to take control of the PGA Tour event and close in on the world No.1 ranking.

Rahm trailed the leader by four shots on Saturday as he played the 12th hole at Muirfield Village.

The Spaniard then ran off four straight birdies, in firm and fast conditions, on his way to a four-under 68 and a four-shot lead at 12-under 204.

Overnight co-leaders Tony Finau and Ryan Palmer (both 73s) are tied for second.

Rahm - a three-times winner on the PGA Tour - can go top of the rankings for the first time with victory on Sunday, provided Rory McIlroy finishes worse than a two-way tie for second.

McIlroy is 10 shots off the lead at two-under after a round of even-par 72 - not a bad effort with the course average 73.07 on moving day.

Day made bogeys on 17 and 18 to sign for a 72 and a share of fifth at five-under - seven shots off the lead.

His fellow Australians Marc Leishman (71, two-over) and Cameron Smith (76, four-over) are on course for their best finishes since the season restart last month.

This was a day of patience for everyone, and Rahm - who along with Brendon Todd (68) were the only players to dip under 70 - could sense it.

It was the highest average score for the third round at the Memorial since 2012, the last year Tiger Woods won.

There won't be a repeat of that.

Woods said he felt better and he played better, posting a 71 to trail the leader by 14 shots.

That's what made Rahm's round so special, dropping only one shot, on the par-3 eighth.

Rahm is just 18 holes away from joining Seve Ballesteros as the only Spaniards to reach No. 1 in the world ranking.

"It's extremely important. It's obviously a big deal," Rahm said.

"I can't sit here and... try to diminish it and avoid it because it would just be lying to myself because it is a big deal.

"But it is a consequence of me winning tomorrow.

"What's important to me tomorrow is hit good shots, be committed and get the job done."

Britain's Danny Willett, the 2016 Masters champion, had a 70 to sit alone in fourth at six-under.

Tony Finau and Ryan Palmer share the lead at the Memorial in Ohio, while Australian Jason Day is only four shots behind as Tiger Woods just managed to survive the cut.

Finau took confidence from playing with his kids at home during a week off, and it translated into 14 birdies over two days and a share of the 36-hole lead at Dublin.

He recovered from two bogeys after three holes of his second round Friday (Saturday AEST), making birdie on the rest of the par-fives and finishing with a wedge to two feet for birdie and a three-under 69.

That put him at nine-under 135 with Ryan Palmer (68), who had only one bogey over two rounds.

They were a shot in front of Jon Rahm (67), who has another chance to reach No. 1 in the world this week for the first time in his career, while U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland had a 70 and was two behind.

Day is only four shots off the lead at five-under thanks to an impressive round of 66, which featured a strong finish of birdies in four of his last seven holes.

Cameron Smith (two-over) and Marc Leishman (three-over) were the other Australians to survive the tournament into the weekend.

For Woods, it was a matter of making it to the weekend.

The American said his back felt stiff while warming up, and missing a pair of three-footers didn't make him feel any better.

He managed two birdies and a seven-foot par save on his final three holes for a 76 that allowed him to make the cut on the number at three-over 147, matching his highest 36-hole score at the Memorial.

"Not very good. I three-putted two holes early, and whatever kind of momentum I was going to create, I stifled that early and fought it the rest of the day," Woods said.

Next month's LPGA's Marathon Classic in Ohio will be held without spectators due to the COVID-19 outbreak, tournament organisers have confirmed..

The August 3-9 tournament at Highland Meadows Golf Club, in Sylvania, will be held a week after the elite women's professional golf circuit, which has been idle since February, resumes in Toledo, Ohio for a spectator-free Drive On Championship.

"The organisers of the Marathon Classic and the LPGA have made the right decision in not allowing fans to attend this year," Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said in a statement.

"I know it was a difficult decision, but they have made the right call to put the health and safety of players and fans first."

The Marathon Classic had planned to offer free admission to frontline workers and grocery store employees this year in addition to military, police, fire, and emergency medical services. The offer will be extended to next year's tournament.

Earlier this week it was announced that the PGA Tour would conduct the rest of its season without spectators.

Tony Finau's hot putter helped him to a six-under-par 66 and a one-stroke first round lead while Tiger Woods bookended his first PGA Tour appearance in five months with birdies to finish one-under at the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio on Thursday.

On a day that saw tough scoring conditions due to gusting winds at Muirfield Village, 30-year-old Finau stepped up his play on the greens.

"I made a lot of putts. I honestly didn't feel I hit it great off the tee. I didn't hit a lot of fairways," said the American, who mixed nine birdies with three bogeys.

"But I felt great out there. It was playing really tough but ... I was able to execute pretty well."

Finau is one clear of Ryan Palmer, who had a bogey-free round of 67. Early leader Brendan Steele and 2019 US Open champion Gary Woodland lurk two back after rounds of four-under 68.

Woods, back in action for the first time since February's Genesis Open, came out blazing with birdies on two of his first three holes but mostly failed to take advantage of the course's par-fives.

"It's been a while since I've played," Woods said.

"Got off to almost an ideal start and got a feel for the round early. I just didn't make anything today. I had looks at birdies, but I really didn't make much."

His round ended on a high note when he coolly sank a 14-foot putt to finish in red numbers and tied for 18th.

Woods is gunning for a record-breaking 83rd PGA Tour win this week.

The 44-year-old went out in a group with world number one Rory McIlroy, who finished two under, and four-times major winner Brooks Koepka, who finished at even par.

Australian Marc Leishman was also even after four bogies cancelled out his four birdies. Compatriot Jason Day shot an error-laden one-over-par 73 with Cameron Smith and Jason Scrivener both a further shot back.

Collin Morikawa, winner of last week's Workday Charity Open, struggled, carding a four-over 76, his highest round as a professional on the PGA Tour.

Australia's joint-overnight leader Deyen Lawson has slipped back to joint-fifth place at the halfway stage of the Euram Bank Open in Austria.

The Victorian carded a second-round 69 at Golf Club Adamstal to sit at eight-under par for the European Tour tournament, four shots behind Dutch leader Joost Luiten, who followed his opening 65 with an excellent 63 to reach 12 under.

Geelong-born Lawson had opened with a 63 to share the lead with Czech Stanislav Matus on Wednesday but two birdies and a bogey in his one-under effort on day two sees him now sit alongside Scotland's Chris Robb, American John Catlin and Swede Christofer Blomstrand in a four-strong group.

France's Joel Stalter and Sweden's Philip Eriksson are Luiten's closest rivals, sharing second on 10-under par with Frenchman Julien Brun one shot back.