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Australian golfer Cameron Davis has a share of the lead with American Brendan Steele after another wet and windy day at the Sony Open in Hawaii.

The wind wasn't as strong as Thursday's opening round but the duo's four-under-par 66 for a halfway total of 134 has them holding off another Australian Cameron Smith (135) by one shot.

They were at six under overall, the highest score to lead the Sony Open through 36 holes since 2006. More unusual was the cut being at one-over 141, leaving only a seven-shot differential between first and worst.

Smith is tied at five-under with Keegan Bradley and seven other players including young American first-round leader Collin Morikawa and former Hawaii champion Ryan Palmer.

Davis was more consistent than Steele, mixing five birdies and a bogey.

The 24-year-old's best shot came on the par-4 13th when he coolly rolled in a 26-foot putt for birdie to keep his dreams of a maiden PGA Tour victory alive.

In the tough conditions at Waialae, defending champion Matt Kuchar, Justin Thomas and Patrick Reed have missed the cut, along with Australian Cameron Percy.

Early contender Matt Jones fired a one-over 71 on Friday to be two under after two rounds, with fellow Australian Marc Leishman (68, 70). Rhein Gibson (70, 69) is one under.

"I'm playing great, playing good enough to still be winning this week," Thomas said after two double-bogeys ruined his round of 71. "Probably a little exhausted from last week, which is a good thing. No, I mean, played like crap so I deserve to have the weekend off."

It was his first missed cut since the US Open last year at Pebble Beach.

Reed made a 35-foot par putt and chipped in for birdie. It was all the other putts he missed, along with a flubbed pitch that went into a bunker and led to double-bogey, that cost him. He shot 74.

They both finished at 143 to miss by two shots.

"I was missing my putts short, I had two three-putts. I missed everything," Reed said.

It was his first missed cut since the PGA Championship in May.

The course is getting soaked by rain every night, with occasional pop-up showers - even when the sun is shining - during the day.

Approach shots which typically bounce forward are spinning back.

Reuters

Tapio Pulkkanen carded a bogey-free 66 to take a one-shot advantage at the top of a congested South African Open leaderboard, but Australia's Maverick Antcliff remains in touch, three strokes off the lead.

Just three shots separate the first 22 players at the halfway point of the European Tour event, with Finland's Pulkkanen alone at the summit on 11 under par after he managed five birdies on a tougher scoring day for the 240-strong field.

Brisbane-based Antcliff, who earned his European Tour card for 2020 via the China Golf Tour, is in a group of 12 players sharing 11th place after carding a second successive 67 to sit on eight under.

Aussie compatriot Min Woo Lee is a shot back, tied for 23rd after a round of 69.

At one point there was a seven-way tie at the top of the leaderboard at the Randpark Golf Club. Pulkkanen is seeking a first win on tour, but will have to fight off a sizeable chasing pack if he is to be victorious in Johannesburg.

Englishman Sam Horsfield (68) is one of five players a shot back, in a group that includes home amateur Jayden Trey Schaper (67), and the South African trio of Thriston Lawrence (65), Jaco Ahlers (66) and Trevor Fisher Jnr (67).

American overnight leader Johannes Veerman could only manage a par 71 on Friday following his superb 62 in his opening round, and is two shots off the pace.

Former Briitish Open winner and defending champion Louis Oosthuizen (69) is alongside world No.231 Ancliff on eight under in a group looking to make a move at the weekend.

Wade Ormsby has taken sole possession of the lead at the halfway stage of the Hong Kong Open after carding a four-under-par 66 on Friday.

Ormsby, who won the event in 2017, is two shots clear of India's SSP Chawrasia.

"I guess it's a good thing being in the lead," Ormsby said.

"You just got to get ahead and get them. I'm obviously playing well. I probably played better today than the way I did yesterday.

"Two bogeys and one of them was a bad hole, but otherwise I played beautifully."

Chawrasia, who led for three days in 2017 before falling behind to Ormsby, played a flawless round of 63

Travis Smyth (68) was tied for third place along with Shiv Kapur (66), Gunn Charoenkul (67) and Jazz Janewattananond (66).

The tournament began on Thursday after a six-week delay because of anti-government protests.

It was originally scheduled for November in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory which has seen more than six months of anti-government demonstrations.

Australian golfers Matt Jones is tied second and Marc Leishman is in strong contention after a windy first round of the Sony Open in Hawaii.

Jones finished on three-under-par 67, one shot ahead of countryman Leishman at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu.

Two of six Australian golfers competing in the PGA event, they each finished the round with four birdies, including a stunning 29-foot putt on the 16th hole from Leishman.

Jones is in a four-way tie for second, while Leishman is is locked in equal sixth with nine other golfers including countryman Cameron Davis on a cluttered leaderboard.

Fellow Australians Rhein Gibson and Cameron Smith both finished the day with even-par rounds of 70. Cameron Percy fired a poor first round of three-over 73.

American Collin Morikawa, 22, had a bogey-free, five-under-par opening round 65 to take a two-shot lead.

Justin Thomas, who won a playoff last week in Kapalua, struggled to card a 72, while defending champion Matt Kuchar and Patrick Reed shot 69s.

AP

Tiger Woods will have his first crack at securing a record-setting 83rd PGA Tour victory in two weeks in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego, the former world No.1 says.

Woods, who tied Sam Snead at the top of the all-time PGA Tour wins list when he triumphed at the Zozo Championship in Japan last October, has won eight times at Torrey Pines with his most recent triumph there coming at the 2008 US Open.

The tournament, which will be held from January 23-26, has been Woods' usual first start to the year. He joins a loaded field that includes Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Phil Mickelson, Jon Rahm and Zander Schauffele.

Woods announced his plans on his official Twitter account while also saying he will tee up at the February 13-16 Genesis Invitational, where the 15-times major champion is tournament host.

Since equalling Snead's record, Woods has competed in two unofficial events last month.

He finished fourth in the 18-man Hero World Challenge before posting a 3-0 record as a playing captain for the victorious US side at the Presidents Cup.

American Johannes Veerman birdied nine holes in an error-free round of 62 to take a one-shot lead after a low-scoring first day of the European Tour's South African Open at Randpark Golf Club.

The 27-year-old from Texas on Thursday continued his bright start to his debut season on the European Tour, as he came home in a blistering finish with four birdies in his last four holes to take an early clubhouse lead.

Veerman is one shot ahead of Italian Nino Bertasio, who held the joint lead after an eagle at the 17th but dropped a shot on the final hole, and South African JC Ritchie.

Sam Horsfield of England, and the home trio of Brandon Grace, Toto Thimba and Rourke van der Spuy are part of a group of six players a further shot back after shooting 64.

Van der Spuy eagled the 18th, preceded by three straight birdies, as he also finished strongly.

Defending champion Louis Oosthuizen, who began his run to last year's title with a first round 62, was in a group of 11 players on 65.

The group included Rasmus Hojgaard of Denmark, who has already won on this season's tour when he triumphed in the Mauritius Open in December.

It also includes Australian David Micheluzzi, who sunk seven birdies in his opening round, while compatriot Min Woo Lee was a further shot back after shooting three birdies and an eagle on the back nine.

Australians Jarryd Felton and Maverick Antcliff were a further shot back on 67, while Brett Mumford was on 69.

Some 240 players are competing over two courses in the championship, which was first played in 1903.

After a six-week delay because of anti-government protests the Hong Kong Open has finally got underway, with Australia's Wade Ormsby grabbing a share of the lead.

Ormsby and Tomoharu Otsuki were atop the leaderboard at 5-under after firing 65s on Thursday.

The tournament that was originally scheduled for November in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory which has seen more than six months of anti-government demonstrations.

Ormsby, who won the event in 2017, carded six birdies and one bogey while Otsuki didn't drop a shot.

The Japanese player had three birdies in the opening five holes and added two more on 12th and 13th holes.

"A little bit windy in the afternoon but I'm happy with how I held up," Ormsby said.

"I like a lot of these shots around here, that's why I've chosen to start my season here."

South Korea's Yikeun Chang (66) is in a tie for third with the Australian pair of Travis Smyth and David Gleeson.

Same state, new island, two courses that could not be more different.

What hasn't changed between the two-week Hawaii swing on the PGA Tour is the wind, which is stronger than usual.

The gusts approached 40 mph at Kapalua last week for the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

It was blowing just as hard Wednesday at Waialae on the eve of the Sony Open that will include six Australians in the field.

Australian Open winner Matt Jones will be joined by countrymen Marc Leishman, Cameron Smith, Rhein Gibson, Cameron Percy and Cameron Davis.

"I've never seen the wind blow like this, and it's supposed to blow like this every day," said Justin Thomas, who will try to repeat his Hawaii 2-0 performance from 2017 when he won on both courses.

Thomas and the other 34 players in the winners-only field last week at least have some fresh experience.

The Sony Open starts on Friday (AEDT) with Matt Kuchar as the defending champion.

He is among those at Kapalua last week who should get some answers on which course is tougher to play in the wind.

It's not that simple an equation.

Waialae is 7,044 yards at a par 70, with narrow fairways and a strain of Bermuda grass that allows the ball to sink to the bottom.

The greens are small. But being older, and so much recent rain, they are extremely soft and receptive.

"I think guys that played last week have a pretty nice advantage," Graeme McDowell said.

"We have a week under our belt in very similar conditions. But this week, the greens are more receptive. I can't believe how soft they are."

Charles Howell III is playing the Sony Open for the 19th consecutive year, with two runner-up finishes among his 10 appearance in the top 10.

He knows the wind of Waialae, and he considers this week an exception.

Brisbane has pinched the Australian PGA Championship from the Gold Coast for the next three years, with Royal Queensland to host the tournament again later this year.

It comes after seven years at Royal Pines, Masters champion Adam Scott winning the first and last titles at the venue either side of a comprehensive redesign.

The shift back to Royal Queensland - where Scott is a member - for the first time since 2001 will coincide with the course's centenary year.

"We're incredibly excited to return to Brisbane and the Royal Queensland Golf Club to celebrate a milestone anniversary of one of the country's most treasured golf courses," PGA of Australia CEO Gavin Kirkman said.

"Royal Queensland Golf Club is a rich breeding ground which has unearthed a number of PGA Professionals, including one of the game's icons, Greg Norman."

Norman was a trainer professional at the Hamilton club in the 1970s, while the course was redesigned by Michael Clayton in 2007.

Robert Allenby won both instalments when the tournament was held at the riverside course in 2000 and 2001.

Marc Leishman believes he can finally break through to win one of golf's majors this year, but first he'll aim to revive Australian fortunes on the US PGA Tour.

Leishman is one of five Aussies contesting this weeks' Sony Open in Hawaii, the first full-field event of 2020, trying to end their country's 15-month winless streak on the tour.

For world No.28 Leishman, Oahu's Waialae Country Club is a great place to start as it suits his shot-making game.

"I love this course and how much shot-shaping it requires in the wind," Leishman said.

The winner of four US tour titles, 36-year-old Leishman likes his chances of joining countrymen Adam Scott and Jason Day as a major champion in 2020.

Along with the Masters at Augusta National, this year's major venues are California's TPC Harding Park (US PGA Championship), New York's Winged Foot (US Open) and England's Royal St George's (British Open).

I really feel I can win a major, this year" Leishman said.

"If I can contend in at least two different majors on the Sunday afternoon, that will give me a good chance at getting one."

Joining Leishman in this week's tournament are countrymen Cameron Smith, Rhein Gibson, Matt Jones, Cameron Percy and Cameron Davis.

Smith has been tipped by for US Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger to be the stand-out Australian in 2020.

"Cameron Smith is going to have a monster year on the PGA Tour," Azinger said.

"He doesn't have any weakness in his game. More importantly, at the Presidents Cup he showed the heart and the moxie that it takes to be a champion on Tour."

All six Australians in the field have pledged to donate money to Australia's bushfire appeal based on birdies and eagles they make this week.

The PGA Tour has committed to match any figures raised by any player in the Sony Open field up to $US125,000.

The Sony Open will field 144 players including last week's Tournament of Champions winner Justin Thomas and defending champion Matt Kuchar.