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US PGA Tour commentator Brandel Chamblee has expressed concern for the chronically-injured Jason Day, whose hopes of contesting this week's elite Players Championship appear slim.

Former world No.1 Day walked off Orlando's Bay Hill course on Friday, midway through the second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Still feeling stiff in the back, Day was unable to practice but walked Florida's TPC Sawgrass course on Monday ahead of the Players, which starts Thursday.

On Tuesday, Day did not practice at TPC Sawgrass.

Former US PGA Tour winner-turned Golf Channel analyst Chamblee questioned whether Day's ongoing back injuries could be resolved, or whether he'd have to manage a troubled spine for the rest of his career.

"I don't know if the calamity is irreversible, but it might be," Chamblee said on Tuesday at TPC Sawgrass.

"When I hear Jason Day talking about all the sacrifices he needed to make in the gym and practising, I never really heard about him paying proper attention to recovery."

Day's withdrawal from the Palmer event was the 10th of his US PGA Tour career and is related to a chronic back injury he battled throughout 2019.

He withdrew from the same Palmer event last year before receiving four cortisone injections, which helped him earn a tie for eighth at the 2019 Players Championship a week after.

A month later, he received on-course medical attention in the first round at the 2019 Masters but eventually tied for fifth, two shots behind winner Tiger Woods.

In December, the injury forced Day to skip a trip home to Australia for the Australian Open in Sydney and the Presidents Cup in Melbourne.

Chamblee said Day's explosive swing was not conducive to longevity. Day has won 12 times on the US PGA Tour, including a lone major at the 2015 US PGA Championship.

"If you have a short, quick golf swing then you are going to have a short, quick career," Chamblee said.

"Especially if you have a violent transition the way (Day) has had. He had a wonderful run in his 20s and a nice run through his early 30s.

"I can remember a point where he said he was trying to shorten his golf swing and I thought that is the exact opposite thing you needed to be doing."

Chamblee said Day could benefit from taking a leaf from the book of world No.1 Rory McIlroy, who prioritises recovery.

McIlroy wears a fitness wristband called a WHOOP, which analyses strain, recovery and sleep on an athlete's body. NFL legendary quarter-back Tom Brady is also a user.

"I think Jason Day could learn from Rory and (Roger) Federer and Brady," Chamblee said.

US PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan says there is no intention to cancel or move golf tournaments in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak, after reports suggested the US PGA Championship may not go ahead in San Francisco.

The death toll for the COVID-19 outbreak has reached 27 in the US while prompting the cancellation of events from the St Patrick's Day parade in Boston, Massachusetts, to the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas.

South by Southwest was to be held from March 13-21, one week before the US PGA Tour's $US10 million World Golf Championships-Match Play event in the same city.

"We fully expect that the tournament will be held in Austin," Monahan said on Tuesday ahead of the Players Championship.

"When you see these cancellations, they happen for different reasons, some of which aren't applicable to us."

There has also been speculation that the US PGA Championship, one of golf's four majors scheduled for May 14-17, will relocate from San Francisco's TPC Harding Park course.

San Francisco has temporarily banned gatherings of more than 50 people at publicly-owned venues and TPC Harding Park is owned by the city.

Media reports have suggested that the US PGA Championship, which is run by the PGA of America body, could be staged at TPC Sawgrass in Florida - site of the Players Championship.

While Monahan denied that was in the pipeline, he did not rule it out.

"There is no plan at this point in time for the PGA Championship to be held here," Monahan.

"But when you get in these extraordinary circumstances, you have to make yourself available to your partners and work closely together to help each other get through this."

The elite Players Championship, considered golf's unofficial fifth major, starts on Thursday with its largest-ever purse of $US15 million, of which the winner will receive $US2.7 million.

Monahan, who succeeded former commissioner Tim Finchem in January 2017, said the Players' purse could grow to $US25 million in the future.

He also predicted the US Tour's season-long FedEx Cup prize pool could grow from $US70 million to $100 million.

"I see us getting to $25 million," Monahan said of the Players Championship.

"There's a day in the not-too-distant future where the (FedEx) Cup will be worth perhaps $100 million or more.

"That's not a commitment, but that's the kind of growth that I expect to see."

Monahan also slammed US PGA Tour player Scott Piercy's homophobic posts to Instagram last week.

Piercy shared an Instagram meme with a homophobic slur directed at Pete Buttigieg, who is openly gay, after he dropped out of the 2020 Democratic presidential race.

"My reaction was one of significant disappointment," Monahan said. "That post does not convey the values that we have as a tour.

"I'm not going to speak to the disciplinary action, but it's something that we take very seriously."

Jason Day has not given up hope of contesting the elite Players Championship despite nursing a back injury that forced his withdrawal from last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational.

The former world No.1 walked off Orlando's Bay Hill course on Friday midway through the second round of the Palmer event he won in 2016.

Still feeling stiff in the back, Day was unable to practice but scouted the TPC Sawgrass course on Monday with the intention of teeing it up at golf's unofficial fifth major, which starts Thursday.

"I just did some walking today; I'm trying to stay rested," Day told AAP in Florida. "I walked nine holes to have at look at TPC Sawgrass. We walked the back nine."

Day's eagerness to compete at the Players - which features the strongest field in world golf - is because he won the 2016 edition at TPC Sawgrass by four shots, during which he equalled the course record 63.

The 32-year-old also tied for fifth in 2018.

Day is also keen to test himself against the world's best golfers with the Masters at Augusta National just four weeks away.

He tied for fifth at Augusta National last year, two shots behind winner Tiger Woods, after sharing the 36-hole lead.

If he wasn't to compete at the Players, Day is likely to only have one tournament to sharpen up for the Masters - the World Golf Championships-Match Play event.

Day won the head-to-head event in 2014 and 2016.

The Queenslander's latest withdrawal - the 10th of his US PGA Tour career - is related to a chronic back injury that he battled throughout 2019.

"Jason had some stiffness in his lower back on putting green before round," Day's agent Bud Martin said in a statement last week. "He tried to play through it but it stiffened up again later on the golf course."

The ailment forced him to skip a trip home to Australia for the Australian Open in Sydney and the Presidents Cup in Melbourne.

However, Day was in a similar position last year when he also walked off the course at Bay Hill before receiving four cortisone injections which helped him earn a tie for eighth at the 2019 Players.

The Players is the US PGA Tour's flagship event and commissioner Jay Monahan recently beefed up the total purse to $US15 million, with the winner taking home $US2.7 million.

The $2.7 million will be the highest winner's payout on the PGA Tour.

Apart from Day, Australians in the field include former winner Adam Scott, Marc Leishman, Cameron Smith, Aaron Baddeley and Matt Jones.

With the majors season looming, Marc Leishman has edged closer to a maiden stint in the world's top 10 golfers having fallen just short of victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida.

Leishman pulled within a shot of eventual winner Tyrrell Hatton late on the back nine on Sunday, but his fightback was only good enough for second as the Englishman secured his first US PGA Tour victory.

Hatton's 74 at Orlando's Bay Hill course left him at four-under-par and his 284 was the highest-ever score by a winner in the 54-year history of the Palmer event.

"It's an incredible feeling to win at such an iconic venue and with Arnie's (Palmer's) name to it," Hatton said.

Leishman, who won the Palmer event in 2017, came from four shots back with nine holes to play but his 73 left him runner-up at three under (285).

Korea's Sungjae Im (73) was third at two under.

Hatton's win comes with a three-year exemption on the US PGA Tour and a $US1.7 million winner's cheque, while moving him 10 places up the world rankings to No.22.

The silver lining for Leishman, who won the US Tour event at Torrey Pines in January, is he jumps six places to world No.15.

"Yes, I'm disappointed, but I'm just happy that I played well," Leishman said.

"It felt like a US Open out there; fast greens, long rough, narrow fairways, and big, vocal crowds.

"Obviously, I would have liked to have won but that was a fun day and a fun week."

Leishman's hot form is timely with the elite Players Championship starting on Thursday.

He will then use the World Golf Championships-Match Play as his final hit-out before the Masters at Augusta National in April.

"This week was a really big mental test and they were all good signs," Leishman said. "Going into the Players, I feel I'm in a good place mentally and with the majors season coming up as well."

World No.1 Rory McIlroy started Sunday two shots behind Hatton but a 76 saw him share fifth place at even par.

McIlroy will reach 100 weeks in total as world No.1, the third-highest tally behind Tiger Woods (683) and Australia's Greg Norman (331).

"There have been a lot of chances (to win that I'm not) not converting, but I know the game's pretty much there," McIlroy said.

"I'll just keep knocking on the door."

Australia's Matt Jones( 81) was 47th at nine over.

Rory McIlroy feels ready to defend his Players Championship title this week having joined Tiger Woods and Greg Norman as the longest-serving world No.1s since the rankings began.

McIlroy's tie for fifth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida means he will amass 100 total weeks as golf's top dog.

It is the third-highest tally behind golf greats Tiger Woods (683) and Australia's Greg Norman (331) since the rankings were created in 1986.

McIlroy started the final day at Orlando's Bay Hill course just two behind eventual winner Tyrrell Hatton, but never threatened the Englishman with a four-over 76 to drop to even-par.

However, four-time major champion McIlroy is looking at the bright side.

The 30-year-old is in a rich vein of form not unlike his run into the elite Players Championship last year, when he won golf's unofficial fifth major at TPC Sawgrass.

Since winning the Tour Championship in August, McIlroy has eight top-five results from 10 worldwide starts.

But his only victory in that stretch was the World Golf Championship event in China.

"There have been a lot of chances (to win that I'm not) not converting, but I know the game's pretty much there and I'll just keep knocking on the door," said McIlroy, who finished no worse than sixth in the five events leading up to the 2019 Players Championship.

McIlroy also has one eye fixed firmly on the Masters at Augusta National which begins in less than five weeks.

Given he has two US PGA Championship wins, a US Open title and a British Open trophy, McIlroy needs the Masters to complete golf's coveted career grand slam.

Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods are the only players to have achieved that feat.

McIlroy says his game will not require too much sharpening to contend at Augusta.

"I'm driving it well," he said. "Maybe just my mid-range putting between 12 and 20 feet (needs work).

"I'm holing out pretty well for the most part, but I'm giving myself a lot of chances and not converting that many of them.

"That's pretty much (all I need to fix)."

Jorge Campillo lost a two-shot lead with three holes to play, stayed alive with two long birdie putts in a playoff and won on the fifth extra hole to beat David Drysdale in the Qatar Masters.

On the sixth time playing the 18th hole for the day, Campillo rolled in a birdie putt and raised his arm. Victory was not assured until Drysdale's putt to extend the playoff missed to the left.

"It was a tough win, but I'm glad I pulled it off," said Campillo, who won for the second straight year on the European Tour.

It looked like a certain victory when he stepped to the 16th hole, two shots clear of Jeff Winther and three ahead of Drysdale, the 44-year-old Scot still looking for his first European Tour victory.

Campillo made a soft bogey on the 16th, and lost his drive well to the right on the 17th hole at Education City Golf Club and took double bogey. He still had a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th in regulation to win, but it stopped short.

Campillo closed with a one-over 72, while Drysdale shot 71. They finished on 13-under 271.

Drysdale looked like the winner in the playoff, which was held on the closing hole.

He had a few metres for birdie on the first extra hole, but Campillo knocked in a birdie putt and Drysdale had to match him. On the second extra hole Campillo made another big putt to extend the playoff.

They exchanged pars the next two times before Campillo hit the winner.

Winther bogeyed the 16th and 17th holes and shot 72 to tie for third, one stroke out of the playoff, along with Niklas Lemke (65) and Kalle Samooja (69).

Australia's Jason Srivener was five under for the day to finish six shots off the lead with a share of 21st place.

Campillo said he was proud of how he kept his composure after throwing away the late lead.

"I knew I was still in the game, and I was able to pull it off," he said.

Rory McIlroy is looking to put an exclamation mark on his recent ascension to world No.1 with a second victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida.

Courtesy of a scintillating run of form since winning the Tour Championship in August, McIlroy returned to the top of the rankings last month for the first time since the end of 2015.

Now, the four-times major winner has a chance to increase his cushion over his challengers having remained well in contention after three rounds at Florida's Bay Hill course.

England's Tyrrell Hatton carded a one-over 73 and at six-under-par he will take a two-shot lead into the final round over McIlroy (73) and Australia's Marc Leishman (72).

McIlroy has squandered several chances to win during the past six months.

In nine starts worldwide since the Tour Championship, the Northern Irishman has finished inside the top 10 a remarkable eight times but has earned only one victory.

That was at the World Golf Championship in China last November.

However, McIlroy believes he can get the job done on Sunday and earn a 19th career US PGA Tour victory.

"I'm confident in my game. I think my ball striking's been good. I was pretty good off the tee today," McIlroy said on Saturday.

"I'm thinking well around the course. I feel like my distance control's been pretty good."

McIlroy, a US Open winner, compared the brutal conditions on Saturday to the testing American major.

The third round was the toughest day of scoring in 40 years at Bay Hill, with only one player breaking par.

Not a single player shot in the 60s for the first time since the 1980 edition as strong winds, thick rough and fast greens wreaked havoc on many of the world's best golfers.

"It's a mental grind. It's about just trying to stay as patient as possible out there," McIlroy said.

"But it's a nice change from the norm.

"I've talked about trying to really embrace challenge these days when I would have shied away from it in the past.

"So really trying to embrace the tough conditions."

Marc Leishman has survived the toughest day of scoring in 40 years at Florida's brutal Bay Hill course to give himself a strong chance of joining a small club of multiple winners of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

On day three at the Orlando course, not a single player shot in the 60s as strong winds, thick rough and fast greens wreaked havoc on many of the world's best golfers.

Leishman grinded out a gutsy, even-par 72 to remain at four under and sit just two shots behind 54-hole leader Tyrrell Hatton, from England.

"That's as hard as I've seen (Bay Hill), really," Leishman said after his round.

"I actually added my scorecard in the scorer's hut and I did a double-take; my 72 felt like I shot 65."

Leishman and Hatton will comprise the final group on Sunday having played together on the last day in 2017 when Leishman won the Palmer title.

World No.32 Hatton drained a 31-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole for a 73 and a six-under total.

World No.1 Rory McIlroy (73) is tied with Leishman after the third round.

Leishman began the final round of his Palmer victory three years ago three shots behind.

The Victorian also earned a come-from-behind win in January at the Farmers Insurance Open at California's tough Torrey Pines course.

The 36-year-old will draw from both those wins as he chases PGA Tour victory No.6.

"It's nice when you can pull from your memory bank," Leishman said.

"A lot can happen on this golf course.

"I've got to try and learn and draw from that and hopefully put it to good use."

Only seven players, including Ernie Els (1998, 2010), have won multiple times at Bay Hill.

Tiger Woods leads the records with eight Palmer victories.

Matt Jones was the only other Australian to have made the cut and a 73 dropped him to even par but he still jumped 15 spots to a share of ninth.

The Arnold Palmer Invitational event is one of the most prestigious events on the tour and affords the winner a three-year exemption on tour, one more than regular events, and a $US1.674 million ($A2.52m) cheque.

Scotland's David Drysdale surged into contention to claim his first European Tour title at the 498th attempt with a brilliant third round in the Qatar Masters.

Drysdale fired seven birdies in a bogey-free 64 at Education City Golf Club to reach 13 under par and trail Spain's Jorge Campillo by a single shot on Saturday.

Denmark's Jeff Winther is alongside Drysdale following a 65, with fellow Dane Benjamin Poke on 12 under and Sweden's Alexander Bjork and Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal another stroke adrift.

Drysdale, who has finished runner-up three times during 19 seasons on the European Tour, had missed the cut in his last two starts and has a best finish of 36th from six events in the current campaign.

"It's not been fantastic lately and it's been a case of getting the head down, trying to grind out things to try and see some improvement," the 44-year-old admitted.

"But I had a good couple of days with my coach, Jamie Gough (brother of former Rangers and Scotland defender Richard), on Tuesday and Wednesday and I felt really good on Thursday shooting that four under.

"I played very solid from tee to green. It's not been quite as good since then and today was good for maybe 12 of the 18 holes. But, overall, it is going in the right direction."

Campillo also endured a long wait for his maiden title, ending his drought in the Hassan Trophy last year at the 229th time of asking.

The 33-year-old briefly held a three-shot lead when he chipped in on the 10th for his fifth birdie in six holes, but played the remaining eight holes in one over par to return a 67.

"It was tough, especially the last four holes into the wind," said Campillo, who had missed the cut in three of his last four events and was 67th in a 72-man field in the WGC-Mexico Championship.

"I'm in a good position for tomorrow but still 18 holes to go. I wasn't playing good so leading after three days with what I've been through the last few weeks is nice.

"If I hadn't won a tournament I would be a little bit more nervous going into tomorrow but since I won one time it's a bit more familiar. I'll still be nervous but hopefully I can play as good as today and win."

England's Andy Sullivan began the third round in a tie for the lead with Campillo, but double-bogeyed the 18th in a disappointing 72 to fall five shots off the pace.

Australia's Jason Scrivener carded a one-under 70 in his third round to be 12 shots behind Campillo.

Jason Day's preparation for next month's Masters have taken a hit with the former world No.1 withdrawing from the Arnold Palmer Invitational citing a back injury.

For the second straight year at Florida's Bay Hill, Day walked off the golf course midway through his round on Friday (Saturday AEDT) after hitting a 309-yard drive into trouble on the par-five fourth hole.

He was one-over for the round and three-over for the tournament.

The Queenslander walked gingerly to the locker room at the Orlando area Bay Hill club.

It is Day's 10th official withdrawal from a US PGA Tour event, and is concerning with next week's elite Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass and the WGC-Match Play being his final two events before Augusta National in April.

The 32-year-old Day's camp released a statement to AAP, explaining he "had some stiffness in his lower back" and despite trying to play through the discomfort, "it stiffened up again later" forcing his the former world No.1's withdrawal.

Day has a history of back injuries, which were aggravated several times last year.

The 2016 Palmer Invitational winner withdrew midway through the event last year before having four cortisone injections around the spine from a surgeon at Palm Beach, Florida.

He tied eighth at the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass the following week.

However at the 2019 Masters, Day received medical treatment from his physiotherapist on the second hole at Augusta National before eventually sharing fifth place.

In December, Day withdrew from a schedule appearance at the Australian Open and the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne.

Earlier this week, Day told AAP his putting practice was up to 1.5 hours, still short of his usual 2.5 hours straight.

"The back is what it is. I've just got to manage it," he said.