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Englishman Justin Rose could regain the world No.1 spot without hitting a shot when the PGA Tour returns.

Rose is one of three notable qualifiers opting not to play in the first event of 2019, the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Maui, Hawaii, on Thursday.

American Brooks Koepka begins the new year as world No.1 but could quickly lose it again to Rose if he fails to post a strong finish on the Plantation Course at Kapalua, host of the tournament since 1999.

And Koepka will face stern competition from a field which consists only of PGA Tour winners from the previous calendar year.

Of the 37 qualifiers, 34 have made the trip to Hawaii, with Tiger Woods, who qualified with his victory at the Tour Championship in September, and Phil Mickelson the only others apart from Rose electing to not take part.

Defending champion Dustin Johnson leads the way as he looks to win the event for a third time, something only five players have done in the tournament's 66-year history.

Johnson will play the opening two rounds alongside Bryson DeChambeau, who hopes to continue a red-hot stretch that has included three wins in his last five PGA Tour starts.

Former world No.1 Rory McIlroy, who has qualified on six previous occasions, will make his debut this time as he prepares to switch his focus more to the PGA Tour.

The 29-year-old Northern Irishman, one of nine newcomers, plans to reduce his European Tour commitments in an effort to add to his four major titles.

European Golfer of the Year Francesco Molinari will also feature in the 34-strong field, along with Englishman Paul Casey, who will make his first appearance in the tournament since 2010.

Australian golf star Marc Leishman has given the conditional thumbs up to the US PGA Tour conducting mid-round interviews with players in a bid to connect better with viewers.

The European Tour already features on-course crosses with players, with television networks trialling it over the Australian summer.

Several years ago, the US Tour asked players in contention on the weekend to allow for TV interviews before their rounds, usually as they were arriving or leaving the practice range.

Now they are looking for volunteers willing to do interviews on the course during their rounds.

It's in the experimental stage at the Tournament of Champions, and the willingness to take part depends on the player.

Brooks Koepka, the reigning PGA Tour player of the year, nixed the idea last year in Shanghai but said he might be OK with it now.

"Don't they do that on the Champions Tour?" he asked.

Justin Thomas? Not so much.

Thomas talks plenty during his round, usually to himself or with caddie Jimmy Johnson. The idea of stopping for a quick interview was not appealing to him.

"I've just been asked about it," he said. "I said, 'No.' It's not me. I do a lot of self-talking. That's mine and Jimmy's time, whether we're talking about whatever, or even the next shot. For me, there's no benefit. It's only going to make me look worse."

Such interviews are not likely to occur in the final round, and PGA Tour officials are sensitive to the timing of the interviews.

A quick spot with Dustin Johnson after his 432-yard drive came within 6 inches of the cup last year at Kapalua might be ideal. Right after a three-putt bogey from 10 feet might not be.

Leishman has experience doing on-course interviews when he plays in Australia, and he didn't mind the concept.

"If they do end up having them, my advice would be to have someone who has played on Tour to do it, to be a little sensitive of the questions and the timing of the interview," he said.

"But anything where you can be more accessible to the viewers is a good thing. We want to bring more people to the game. It might be a way to give more insight to what we're thinking at the time."

Rory McIlroy, meanwhile, isn't likely to be among the candidates. He said he has not been approached by the PGA Tour about his willingness to do short interviews in the middle of his round. But he made it clear where he stood.

"I've been approached in Europe because they've done it for a couple of years," McIlroy said. "And I've said, 'no,' every single time."

A new set of rules is set to shake up the game of golf, including leaving the flagstick in the hole while putting from the green.

Golf's governing bodies introduced more than 30 changes to the rules which took effect on January 1 - aimed at speeding up play.

Under the previous rule leaving the flagstick in the hole when putting from the green would have resulted in a two-stroke penalty.

But speaking ahead of the elite 34-man Tournament of Champions in Hawaii, nine-time US PGA Tour winner Justin Thomas said he would not be leaving the flag in.

"I mean, if I have an eight-footer to win a golf tournament, no offence but I couldn't take myself seriously if I kept the pin in," Thomas joked at the picturesque Plantation course on the island of Maui.

"It would be such a weird picture; me on TV celebrating and the pin is in and my ball is up against it."

Several of the changes are expected to have significant impact.

The time allowed to search for a lost ball has been reduced from five minutes to three.

Players are now allowed to improve almost any damage to a putting green - including spike marks - as well as touch the line of their putt.

But perhaps the biggest change is there is no longer a one-shot penalty for a player's ball accidentally moving on a putting surface.

The law faced heavy criticism at the 2016 US Open, when eventual winner Dustin Johnson was deemed to have breached the rule and informed of the controversial decision during his final round.

PGA Tour veteran Webb Simpson, who won the 2012 US Open, applauded the ability to repair spike marks on putting surfaces.

"I like that," Simpson told AAP.

"I think it's fair, because if you're playing behind a guy who scrapes his feet, you were at a disadvantage. But not anymore.

"I don't think it'll slow down play; guys will just tap it down real quick."

PGA Tour players have come under fire in recent years for slow play and many critics believe weekend amateurs are copying their sluggish idols.

Star PGA Tour rookie Cameron Champ supports the change to the time allowed to search for a lost ball.

"I think that will help dramatically," Champ said.

"The old rule was five minutes but sometimes, by the time the rules official gets there, it's even longer than five minutes."

SOME INTERESTING RULE CHANGES

* The time allowed to search for a lost ball has been reduced from five minutes to three

* There is no longer a two-stroke penalty for leaving the flag in when a putt goes in the hole from the green

* There is no longer a one-shot penalty when a player's ball moves accidentally on the green

* Players are now allowed to improve almost any damage to a putting green - including spike marks - as well as touch the line of their putt.

* When taking a drop, players are now required to drop from knee height, rather than shoulder height.

* Players facing an unplayable lie in a sand trap can now drop outside the bunker for a two-shot penalty.

A defiant Jason Day has declared 2019 the year he can finally reclaim the world No.1 ranking.

The 30-year-old Australian has targeted three facets of his golf game he needs to improve to return to No.1 since losing the crown in February 2017.

"If I'm (ranked) first in strokes gained putting (on the US PGA Tour), hit 70 per cent of greens in regulation and hit 60 to 65 per cent of fairways, then I'll get back to No.1," Day told AAP at the Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.

Day finished second but spent most of last season ranked first in the strokes gained in putting measurement, while he hit 65 per cent of greens and 58 per cent of fairways.

The Queenslander first grabbed golf's top spot briefly during his breakout 2015 season, when his five PGA Tour victories included a maiden major title at the PGA Championship.

He then returned to the summit in March 2016, where he stayed for 47 consecutive weeks.

Only four-time major winner Rory McIlroy (54) has more consecutive weeks at No.1 since Tiger Woods dominated the position for 16 years.

Day's 2018 PGA Tour season marked a return to form following a winless 2017.

He won twice in the US before May, but after the Players Championship he registered just one top-10 result for the rest of the season.

Day's lack of consistency opened the door for several players to take turns at No.1, including multiple major winner Brooks Koepka, former No.1 Dustin Johnson, FedEx Cup champion Justin Rose and Justin Thomas.

But Day says his three performance goals will take care of the quartet this year.

"I can't control what they do, but if I reach my goals I will definitely win multiple times and that's what I believe."

Before arriving at the winners-only, no-cut Tournament of Champions, Day spent considerable time recently in the Californian desert with long-time swing coach Colin Swatton.

"I've been working hard on shaping the ball in both directions and controlling my ball flight," Day said.

Day booked his place in the field at the picturesque Plantation course in the Kapalua area of Maui with his wins at the Farmers Insurance Open and Wells Fargo Championship last year.

He is hoping to add a sixth title for Australian golfers since the Tournament of Champions moved to Hawaii in 1999.

"This course can set up well for me," said Day, who owns three top-10s in four starts, including a tie for third in 2015 when he fired a final round of 10-under-par 62.

"I've had some success here but I'd like to get that win."

Day's fellow Australian Marc Leishman is also in the elite 34-player field.

Jason Day and Marc Leishman will be among an elite 34-player field in next week's Tournament of Champions on the PGA Tour.

World No. 20 Leishman, winner of the CIMB Classic, comes into the tournament fresh from his second placing at the Australian PGA Championship at Royal Pines Resort at the beginning of the month.

The Victorian was in contention throughout with rounds of 68, 68, 69 and 69, before finishing just two shots behind tournament winner and compatriot Cameron Smith.

Former world No.1 Day, who will be hoping to claw his way back up the rankings, won the Wells Fargo Championship and the Farmers Insurance Open.

Day, who also also tied for second at Pebble Beach, is currently world No.14.

Tiger Woods, however, will not be saying 'Aloha' to golf fans in Hawaii.

There was speculation Woods would play at Kapalua but he was not on the list of the final field released on Friday.

Woods instead has chosen to extend his holiday season for a couple more weeks, rather than tee it up in Maui, where he has not played since 2005.

Seven of the world's top eight players have confirmed their entry and Woods qualified for the winners-only tournament with his victory at the Tour Championship in September.

It now seems likely the 14-times major champion will begin his 2019 campaign at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego from January 24-27.

Despite the absence of Woods, the 34-man Kapalua field will be loaded with talent, headed by defending champion Dustin Johnson and world No.1 Brooks Koepka.

Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy will also make his debut in the event as he seeks to get his year off to a fast start.

British Open champion Francesco Molinari, of Italy, will also contest the event after qualifying for the first time.

Rounding out the world top eight players are Americans Justin Thomas and Bryson DeChambeau and Spaniard Jon Rahm.

English world No.2 Justin Rose is the only top-eight player missing.

Europe captain Thomas Bjorn has lived up to his promise to tattoo their winning Ryder Cup score on his bottom.

Bjorn made the promise at a news conference before the event in September in France, where Europe were the underdogs against the United States.

Video first posted on the Twitter page of Ryder Cup Europe on Monday showed him going into a tattoo parlour in London and grimacing while Europe's winning score - 17 1/2 to 10 1/2 separated by the outline of the Ryder Cup - is inked into his upper left buttock.

While lying on his stomach, the Dane looks up briefly and wishes a merry Christmas before dropping his head onto his hands.

He retweeted the video to members of the Europe team and noted: "I told you I would do it!"

Australian rookie Deyen Lawson has signed off 2018 with a new car worth more than $250,000 to show for a golden patch of golf in just his fourth European Tour event.

The 27-year-old Victorian won a BMW 850 M for a hole in one on the par-3 16th in the final round of the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek Country Club in South Africa.

Remarkably, it was his second consecutive eagle, following a three at the par-5 15th.

His hot finish lifted him into a tie for 47th on Sunday, his second-best result after a tied 30th in the Hong Kong Open.

Lawson earned a European Tour card at the qualifying school last month.

Sydney teenager Grace Kim has scored a three-shot victory at the inaugural ANNIKA Invitational Australasia golf tournament in New Zealand.

Kim carded a final-round 68 on Sunday to finish at 14 under for the championship at Royal Wellington.

The event is an extension of former world No.1 Annika Sorenstam's global foundation that aims to give the world's best junior amateurs a springboard to the LPGA Tour.

Kim, who only turned 18 last week, will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of 32 ANNIKA Invitational graduates to have progressed for the world's biggest women's tour in America.

A member of Avondale Golf Club in Pymble, Kim took charge in Wellington with a tournament record 10-under par 62 in the second round, which included eight birdies and an eagle.

Australian Dimitrios Papadatos has fired a bogey-less first round to sit one shot off the lead at the Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa.

Papadatos, playing on a special invitation for the European Tour event, shot a five-under 67 in strong winds that made it tough for Thursday's early starters at Leopard Creek Country Club.

The 27-year-old, who at one stage led the Australian PGA Championship in November before finishing tied for 19th, is one shot adrift of leader Oliver Bekker.

The South African native put together four straight birdies on the back nine to overtake Papadatos, who sat atop the leaderboard for much of the afternoon.

Bekker was fortunate to play when the wind died down. He rolled in a putt from the fringe on the 12th and landed his approach inches from the cup at 14 to complete his string of birdies.

Raphael Jacquelin was third at four under and nine players, including defending champion Brandon Stone, were another shot further back.

Louis Oosthuizen, winner of the South African Open last weekend, started with a one-under 71 and was tied for 22nd.

The Alfred Dunhill Championship is returning to the European Tour schedule this year.

It wasn't played last season because the Leopard Creek course, on the edge of the Kruger National Park game reserve, was undergoing renovations.

Home favourite Louis Oosthuizen has romped to a first-ever South African Open title after extending his overnight lead and finishing six shots clear after carding a final round 67 at the Randpark Golf Club.

Oosthuizen, with a tournament total of 266, comfortably saw off the challenging pack on Sunday as he ended almost three years without tournament success in securing a ninth European Tour title.

He had been three shots ahead overnight and expected to face a tough final day challenge from good friend, and fellow major winner, Charl Schwartzel.

This, however, did not materialise as Oosthuizen surged clear, seeing off a shaky start to bag four birdies in six holes and turn in 33 at 16-under-par.

"I had a tough start today but just had to bite the bullet," said a tearful Oosthuizen after securing victory.

"I just went back to basics. I just concentrated on hitting the fairways and the greens. I knew I was putting well enough."

The 36-year-old hit an eagle at the 14th to go even further ahead, even as Romain Langasque attempted a late challenge.

The Frenchman hit two birdies and an eagle in successive holes to temporarily cut Oosthuizen's lead back to three shots but then bogeyed the 16th to end any remote hopes he might have had of winning.

Langasque's final round 66 was enough to claim the runners-up spot on 272, 12-under par for the tournament.

He also won a berth in The Open at Royal Portrush in July, as did Englishman Oliver Wilson and Schwartzel, who birdied the second last hole to finish in a tie for third with Wilson and the South African pair of Thomas Aiken and Bryce Easton.

The best Australian competitor was David Gleeson who made par in the final round to finish 66th.

They were eight shots off the lead on 274.