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Seasoned Australian Brad Kennedy will consider shelving his retirement plans after a dream finish to the New Zealand Open reminded him how sweet it is to win.

Kennedy, 45, gave an insight into the pressure on top professionals to turn close finishes into wins after his two-stroke victory near Queenstown.

The final-round 63 at Millbrook Resort left compatriot Lucas Herbert in his wake and uncorked waves of relief after a series of near-misses for Kennedy in Japan and Australia over the past four months.

The Queensland father of two had begun to seriously consider the end of his pro career but victory on Sunday and a subsequent rise to a career-high world ranking of 101st will prompt a re-think.

"I'd always said 2020 was my last year," Kennedy said.

"I've been playing 25 years on tour and wanted to get home and spend some more time with my kids and my wife.

"But who knows now.

"If I can still do it at 45 then who knows what's going to happen.

"I'm going to take this moment and soak it up."

After sampling his first win on the Asian Tour, Kennedy has the option of chasing a second at this week's Malaysian Open.

However, he hinted that he'd instead spend his time at home on the Gold Coast, recuperating from a dramatic three weeks.

Kennedy dropped four strokes in his last three holes at the Queensland PGA Championship to squander a healthy lead.

With that collapse still fresh in his mind, he produced an identical third placing at the Queensland Open a week later.

"I was gutted after the Queensland PGA and I actually didn't want to play last week," he said.

"I felt mentally destroyed by what happened.

"To do that (win the NZ Open) under that sort of pressure and to overcome that, I'm just really proud of what I've done."

Kennedy's also won the New Zealand Open in 2011 and made him the first Australian multiple winner of the event since Bob Shearer in 1981.

Sungjae Im is tireless, and no longer winless.

The 21-year-old South Korean started fast and finished stronger on Sunday, winning the Honda Classic by one shot over Mackenzie Hughes for his first career PGA Tour victory in his 50th attempt.

Im shot a closing four-under 66, finishing at six under to match the second-highest winning score since the Honda moved to PGA National in 2007.

He was the tour's rookie of the year last season, and has played more tournaments and more rounds than anyone since the 2018-19 season began nearly a year and a half ago.

And now, he's a winner - the seventh from South Korea to win on tour.

Young Australian Cameron Davis did plenty of good for his tour future when he eagled the closing hole to tie for eighth place, four shots behind Kim, after a closing 68.

Im birdied four of his first five holes, then birdied two of the final four to finish off the victory and pick up $US1.26 million.

Ignoring water waiting to gobble up a slightly misjudged or mis-hit shot, he took dead aim at the 15th and 17th holes, sticking his tee shot to inside eight feet both times and converting the putts with nerveless precision.

World No.308 Hughes, a Canadian who made the cut on the number Friday, shot his second consecutive 66. Playing alongside Im, he missed a birdie putt at the par-5 finishing hole that would have gotten him into a tie for the top spot.

Englishman Tommy Fleetwood, who is still seeking his first PGA Tour win, began the day one shot clear of the field and reached the final hole needing a birdie to force a playoff.

But his hopes ended when he carved his second shot into the water after a spectator screamed out "get in the hole" during his backswing and he made bogey to finish third after a 71.

Some of Im's best moments have come when no one has been looking.

He was third at the Zozo Championship in Japan last October, a finish totally overshadowed by Tiger Woods tying the PGA Tour record of 82 career victories. And in November he went 3-1-1 to tie for the best showing by a player on the International team at the Presidents Cup, but the U.S. team captained by Woods rallied in singles on the final day to win the trophy at Royal Melbourne.

Australian veteran Brad Kennedy has continued his love affair with golf tournaments on Kiwi soil, winning the New Zealand Open by two shots from compatriot Lucas Herbert in a gripping finish.

Queenslander Kennedy closed with a faultless eight-under 63 at Millbrook Resort near Queenstown, the equal-lowest round of the tournament.

His 21-under tally followed his victory in the same tournament in 2011, when he headed off Australian Craig Parry in a play-off in Christchurch.

Three of 45-year-old Kennedy's five Australasian PGA Tour titles have been claimed in New Zealand, having also won the NZ PGA Championship four years ago.

Overnight co-leader Herbert, who'd won the Dubai Desert Classic in January, needed a birdie on the par-three final hole to force a play-off but sent his tee-shot into the water and he finished second after a 67.

An earlier splash landing, on the par-five 13th hole, cost Lucas the lead when he carded a double bogey.

It happened during the midst of a string of three birdies midway through the back nine for Kennedy and the world No.135 held 82nd-ranked Victorian Herbert at bay.

It was a sweet result for Kennedy, who had recorded seven top-10 finishes at his 11 appearances without clinching a win.

The most painful of those results were back-to-back third placings last month at the Queensland PGA Championship and Queensland Open.

"I was going through a lot of emotion out there today. I've been close the last two events and felt as though I let them slip," Kennedy told Sky TV.

"Today I was chasing. I knew the course was playing at it's best and it would take something special to chase down Lucas.

"I just gutsed it out and played within my game as much as I could and just let my putts do the talking.

"I'm so relieved. To win this again after nine years is just unbelievable."

The world No.135 becomes first two-time winner since Kiwi Greg Turner claimed a second title in 1997.

Australians have now claimed New Zealand's biggest golf prize in eight of the last nine years.

New South Welshman Nick Flanagan carded 66 to finish two back from Herbert in third.

Korean 17-year-old Joohyung Kim, who had led through each of the first three rounds, was alone in fourth a further shot back.

Tommy Fleetwood has won golf tournaments in England, Scotland, France, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates and even Kazakhstan.

Victory in the US hasn't happened yet but the Englishman is in position to change that on Sunday.

Fleetwood birdied four of his final six holes on the way to a three-under 67 in the third round of The Honda Classic on Saturday to fiish the day at 5-under 205.

In a good omen for the Englishman, 12 of the 13 winners since the tournament moved to PGA National have been either first or second after 54 holes.

Fleetwood is one shot ahead of Brendan Steele (71) in Florida.

Next best at three-under in a share of third after rounds of 71 are Luke Donald and Lee Westwood - Fleetwood's fellow countrymen and both former world No.1s.

Australian Cameron Davis carded a three-over 73 on moving day to slide from shared fifth overnight to tied 14th at even par - but he is one of 21 players within five shots of the leader.

Fleetwood, the world No.12, has been close to getting that elusive win on U.S. soil with two runner-up finishes.

"If you're going to win around here, you've proven yourself as an all-around golfer," Fleetwood said.

"Realistically, yeah, it probably is another step in my career.

"I'm not going to lie and say, 'Ah, I don't really mind about winning in America.' Of course I do.

"I want to win everywhere I play and the PGA Tour is for sure one of those places where I haven't done it yet."

After three holes on Saturday, second-round leader Steele sat at seven-under but four bogeys in an eight-hole span cost him before he closed out his round with a late birdie.

In a testament to how tough PGA National was once again, only 11 of the 69 players who made the cut broke par on Saturday.

Fleetwood's 67 was the second-best round of the day.

"It's just a strong test of your all-around game," Fleetwood said.

A four-under 66 from Canadian Mackenzie Hughes, who made the cut on the number on Friday, lifted him 51 spots to tied for eighth.

American Grayson Murray aced the par-3 17th with a pitching wedge to be one-over for the week.

Lucas Herbert heads the Australian contingent battling for the New Zealand Open golf crown going into the final day after earning a share of the lead with a sparkling third-round 65.

The 24-year-old Victorian sank three birdies on Saturday in his last five holes to move up alongside 17-year-old Korean prodigy Joohyung Kim on 15-under-par at the Millbrook Resort in Queenstown.

Sydney-born Brad Kennedy is in outright third, two shots back, after the 2011 champion had carded a third-successive sub-70 score.

NSW's Nick Flanagan matched his compatriot's round of 66 to lie tied for fourth on 12 under with American Chan Kim, who equalled Herbert's low score of the day.

Herbert hopes to repeat the heroics from his victory in January at the Dubai Desert Classic, although he had been six shots adrift, heading into Sunday in the UAE.

"Dubai, teeing off in the final round, winning wasn't in the forefront of your mind, given how far back we were and it was pretty bunched that leaderboard, too," he told the NZ tournament's official website.

"Tomorrow is going to be a different story. I don't think I've ever been as ready as I am right now to go and do it. I'm looking forward to it."

New Zealanders Michael Hendry and Harry Bateman kept themselves in the mix with rounds of 67 to be tied sixth with Japan's Ryosuke Kinoshita.

Victorian Ben Eccles, who was a late call-up from the reserve list, dropped back from second place at the midway point after an even-par round left him ninth on 10 under with Kiwi Kieran Muir and Thailand's Pavit Tangkamolprasert.

Brendan Steele made a couple of big mistakes down the stretch, but was still good enough to grab the outright lead at the midpoint of The Honda Classic at Palm Beach Gardens in Florida.

Australian Cameron Davis is two shots behind the American after he shot an impressive second round 67, backing up from his 70 the day before.

Steele shot a three-under 67 on Friday (Saturday AEDT), getting to five-under for the week and putting himself a shot clear of J.T. Poston (69), Lee Westwood (69) and Luke Donald (66).

Davis is joined two shots behind Steele at three-under by U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland (67), Sepp Straka (67) and Nick Watney (66).

This is Steele's ninth time playing this tournament and the first time he's ended any round at PGA National with the lead - he missed the cut last year by 10 shots.

But most of what he's doing so far this year had worked, until he made bogey on two of his last three holes Friday (Saturday AEDT).

"My first few years here I couldn't quite figure it out," Steele said.

"I thought maybe it wasn't a good course for me. ... I don't feel like it's a course you can just jump out your first time and have it nailed. You have to see it in all the different winds and conditions that you have."

The cut was three-over, and many big names in the field aren't sticking around for the weekend, including Brooks Koepka, Rickie Fowler, Justin Rose and defending champion Keith Mitchell.

Australians Matt Jones and Cameron Percy (both three-over) just beat the cut, while compatriot Greg Chalmers (12-over) bowed out.

Stephen Gallacher claimed a share of the halfway lead in the Oman Open as he seeks a third European Tour victory in the Middle East.

The Scot, who won back-to-back Dubai Desert Classic titles in 2013 and 2014, carded a bogey-free 67 at Al Mouj Golf Club to join Denmark's Rasmus Hojgaard on top of the leaderboard on nine under par.

Belgium's Nicolas Colsaerts and Finland's Kalle Samooja are a shot off the lead, with the English duo of Robert Rock and Richard McEvoy part of a five-strong group two strokes further back on six under.

Australia's Scott Hend carded a second-round 72 to move up to two under and a share of 29th place with compatriot Maverick Antcliff a shot further back.

"It's a good spot to be," former Ryder Cup player Gallacher admitted. "But there's still a lot of golf to be played. My aim will be to do the same things I've been doing."

Colsaerts, who returned to the winner's circle last year for the first time since 2012, matched Gallacher's 67 with seven birdies and two bogeys.

Italy's Lorenzo Gagli, who was reinstated in the field after testing negative for the coronavirus on Wednesday, is four shots off the lead after adding a 70 to his opening 69.

Former world No.1 Martin Kaymer is three strokes further back following an eventful 69 which included a hole-in-one on the 13th, a double bogey on the 15th and three closing birdies.

Victorian golfer Ben Eccles is making the most of a late call-up to play the New Zealand Open, sitting outright second after two sparkling rounds in Queenstown.

Eccles capitalised on a dream start to Friday's second round at The Hills course, shooting a four-under-par 68 to climb to 10 under overall, one stroke behind leader Joohyung Kim.

Seventeen-year-old Korean prodigy Kim held onto his overnight lead, courtesy of a three-under 68, also at The Hills, one of two courses used for the Australasian Tour event.

Leading Australian Lucas Herbert and Thai Pavit Tangkamolprasert are in a share of third, two shots behind Kim.

Eccles is exceeding all expectations, having been added to the field from the reserve list on Wednesday morning, meaning a planned two-week holiday in New Zealand had to go on hold.

It is a welcome change of fortune for the 25-year-old, who is chasing his first win as a professional, although he had taken out the NSW Open in 2015 as an amateur.

He had a difficult 2019 season in Europe but confirmed his Asia Tour card last week and celebrated with an opening six-under 65 in Thursday's stormy winds which left him second overnight.

"Yesterday, I played awesome, in those conditions as well. It just all came together," he said.

"This morning, I got off to a fast start - eagle, birdie, birdie. It's awesome, it's an amazing feeling and, hopefully, I can keep going.

"I just wanted to keep enjoying it; that's been the main thing for me this week. The last couple of years, I haven't enjoyed it a hell of a lot out in Europe."

Conditions were kinder on Friday, with Tangkamolprasert's 64 at The Hills the round of the day.

Kiwi Kieran Muir was the best on show at Millbrook Resort, with his 65 leaving him level with Queenslander and former tournament champion Brad Kennedy in a share of fifth.

The LPGA Tour's return to the United States after three Asian events were cancelled due to the coronavirus has not allayed the fears of new mothers Brittany Lincicome and Stacy Lewis.

Though there had been only 60 known cases diagnosed in the US as of Thursday, the two major champions worry the virus could spread and potentially cause major disruptions.

"I'm worried about the whole season," Lincicome said during a teleconference call to promote the year's first major, the April 2-5 ANA Inspiration scheduled in Rancho Mirage, California.

To which former world No.1 Lewis, who has just returned from Australia, chimed in: "I am too. It's in the US now, too, so travelling to California or travelling anywhere, through any airport, I think you're thinking about it and you're aware of it.

"I feel it's not going away any time soon."

The LPGA Tour first cancelled the March 5-8 Blue Bay tournament scheduled for Hainan Island in China after the coronavirus appeared, and later scrapped events in Thailand and Singapore.

Lincicome had been planning to play in the latter two tournaments, while Lewis had Thailand on her itinerary.

Lewis was playing in Australia when the Thailand event was cancelled, and was relieved to have the decision taken out of her hands.

"Just the thought of potentially not just of me getting it but bringing it back to my daughter and being quarantined and not being able to spend more time with her, I don't know what I would have done if I'd had to make that choice," she said.

"I probably would have picked our health over playing. I'm very glad the tour made those calls. It was hard, but a chance we couldn't take. The way we travel at those events, one person gets it and we're all sick."

Thailand has reported 40 infections of coronavirus as of Wednesday.

"There were more important considerations than (my love of) foot massages and mango sticky rice," Lincicome said.

The LPGA Tour is scheduled to play in the United States until July, with the Tokyo Olympics looming large thereafter.

Asked whether she would worry about participating if she qualified, Lincicome said: "That would be a dream come true but our health is more important. We'll just have to cross that bridge when we get there."

Japan's prime minister this week called for sports and cultural events to be scrapped or curtailed for two weeks, as two more coronavirus deaths heightened concerns the contagion might scupper the Games.

"I hope by the time (of) the Olympics it's fizzled out and is not an issue," Lewis said.

Australian golfer Cameron Percy is three shots off the pace after the first round of the Honda Classic in Florida.

Percy is tied for 11th with 11 other players after shooting a one-under-par 69, with Tom Lewis and Harris English grabbing the lead at PGA National.

The Victorian shot two birdies in his opening three holes and notched another on the 18th.

Lewis and English, who are both in the field thanks to sponsor exemptions, each shot four-under 66 in windy conditions at Palm Beach Gardens.

"It's windy out there, you're going to have a lot of cross-winds, and it played really tough," American English said.

"My short game was on point and I made some really good putts."

Lee Westwood, also in the field thanks to a sponsor exemption, finished on three-under-par alongside Zach Johnson, J.T. Poston, Brian Stuard and Cameron Tringale.

Aussies Matt Jones and Cameron Davis are tied in 23rd after registering an even 70, while Greg Chalmers is tied in 120th on five-over-par.

Only 23 of the 144 players broke par on a day where wind gusts often topped 20 mph.

Defending champion Keith Mitchell finished birdie-birdie and still shot 75. Rickie Fowler, who won the Honda in 2017 and tied for second with Koepka last year, made one birdie all day and shot 76.

Third-ranked Brooks Koepka, in his hometown tournament, made a triple bogey and a double bogey in a four-hole span on the front side on his way to a 74.

"Didn't feel like I played that bad," Koepka said.