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Still gutted after his Presidents Cup near miss, Cameron Smith has taken a low-key approach as he chases a historic third straight Australian PGA Championship on the Gold Coast this week.

The Brisbane talent was in sparkling form in Melbourne on Sunday as he overcame world No.4 Justin Thomas in singles during the International team's gut-wrenching defeat to the United States.

Greg Norman and Robert Allenby are among those to have won back-to-back PGA titles but only Dan Soutar (1905-07) has won three in a row.

Smith isn't getting caught up in the hype, completing chores around the house instead of hitting balls on the driving range this week.

The easy-going star said that relaxed approach suited the atmosphere at Royal Pines and had contributed to his success there.

"It's very cruisy, probably my favourite week of the year," he said.

"I don't particularly think the course suits me, I just think I have a good time and the rest takes care of itself.

"But there's 150 other guys in the field that all want the same as what I want - to get the trophy - I'm going to have to play my arse off."

The two-times defending champion "did some washing and other adult things" on Monday, having flown back from a bittersweet Melbourne campaign.

"I felt like we were so close," he said of the International team's narrow loss.

"I was really gutted for some of the older guys and (captain) Ernie Els; they poured their heart and soul into it.

"We came so close, we can all be proud of how we played, but still pretty gutted."

Smith prevailed in a PGA duel with Marc Leishman in 2018 but will have fellow Queenslander Adam Scott for company this year.

Open champion of 2009 Stewart Cink and Australian order of merit leader Ryan Fox will also present challenges.

"I would like to leave here with a trophy, that's the goal," Cink said.

"I've played golf a long time and I feel like if you set your sights highest and you really dial it in and try to achieve the best, you're more likely to maybe get there."

Smith said pin-point wedge play over four days at Royal Pines would help him clinch a historic third title.

"The fairways are quite generous around here, heaps of wedges, heaps of scoring opportunities and you have to take them when you can," he said.

Greg Chalmers had started looking for his next job but after a resounding return from injury at this month's Australian Open the 46-year-old's playing calendar is now full.

The two-time Australian PGA champion left last year's tournament on the Gold Coast considering his options thanks to constant back pain that kept the US tour regular off the course for 18 months.

Desperate to avoid early retirement, Chalmers has combined radical platelet-rich plasma injections and anti-inflammatory drugs to treat a torn ligament and widespread arthritis in his spine.

Confident but wary of his progress, Chalmers' first competitive test came at Sydney's Australian Open.

Four over through nine holes, the two-time Australian Open champion recovered emphatically to finish tied for fifth.

Back on the Gold Coast 12 months later chasing a third PGA title, the left-hander can now afford to pencil in as many as 12 events next year.

"It was what I expected; a lot of rubbish, lot of rust, but I wiped it off quickly and I've got a lot of energy around my golf now," he said ahead of Thursday's opening round.

"Hopefully it's a nice start to a new leg of my career."

Chalmers is keen to play on for many years, but had started asking his golfing connections about coaching and mentoring jobs as his pains wore on.

"It was pretty cool, because if it doesn't work out it's 'seek employment elsewhere'," he said of the realisation he was pain-free.

Backing his short game to give him an edge this weekend, Chalmers will carry good form into the Gold Coast tournament before returning to the United States.

He still has seven starts locked in next year thanks to a medical exemption, with the first likely to be The American Express - formerly the Bob Hope Desert Classic - in January.

"I'm cognisant that I'm 46. I don't want to tread water, I want to see if I can play at a high level right now," he said.

"I'm looking forward to getting after it on Thursday."

Putting his hand up for a 10th Presidents Cup, Australian veteran Adam Scott says he's feeling optimistic about the chances of the Internationals in 2021.

A devastated Scott again left the biennial tournament empty-handed after his team fell short by two points at Royal Melbourne on Sunday.

The teams drew in 2003, when Scott made his debut, but there's been little to cheer about since.

The International team's top-ranked player Scott battled hard in the final day of singles against US world No.9 Xander Schauffele before going down two and one.

The 39-year-old looked tired after playing fourball followed by fourball on Saturday with just 40 minutes between his rounds, which resulted in a tie and a loss.

Scott was shattered by the defeat after his team took the lead into the final day's play but felt there were positives to take out of the young team, which featured seven debutants.

"It's hard to digest - at the moment it's incredibly disappointing," said the former world No.1, now at 18.

"There were a lot of positives.

"I agree 100 per cent with what Ernie (Els) he's done the last couple years with his team and what we did this week has been fantastic."

Scott said that despite another loss he'd seen a lot of growth in the team under new captain Els, and he would play in the next tournament at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, if he could.

Scott's 10th appearance would rank him second to American Phil Mickelson, who has played 12 times.

"Generally the positivity and being optimistic are what's happening and I like where this team is going, and I'll be working really hard now to be on the team in two more years, if I can keep my game at a good enough level," Scott said.

"I like what's happening in the future and I can't wait for another crack at it."

Patrick Reed has had the last laugh at the Presidents Cup with the controversial golf star's singles win crucial to the US team's historic victory.

Reed ended a week from hell at Royal Melbourne with an emphatic four and two victory over the Internationals' CT Pan, which was his first win from four matches, and gave his team the lead for the first time in the tournament.

Embroiled in a cheating scandal leading into Cup, the world No.12 was targeted by the bulging galleries after he was strongly criticised by Australian golfers Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman.

He said the best way to quieten the fans was to make birdies.

"You make birdies, you don't hear much," Reed said.

"If you come out storming the crowd's pretty quiet and I was able to do that today, kind of get going, and really silence the crowd a little bit."

Reed was forced to play the final singles session without his regular caddie Kessler Karain, who was banned by the PGA after getting into a scuffle with a heckling spectator during Saturday's play,

Reed's swing coach Kevin Kirk Gregory stepped in with the 2018 Masters champion blasting Pan off the course on the front nine.

Reed had five birdies from the first seven holes to race to a six up lead, before the Taiwan world No.76 finally got on the scoreboard.

The American said he treated Sunday's singles as a fresh start after losing three matches with partner Webb Simpson.

He wanted to "get some red" on the scoreboard, meaning a point for the Americans.

"For Webber and I to go out and to win our points today meant a lot for us," he said.

"I knew we were playing well but we weren't quite getting it done and to be able to close them both out today was great."

Reed said the week had been a "tough" experience but he tried to shut out the haters and focus on his golf.

"The biggest thing is just to continue grinding and not let the crowds or other people get in the way of what you're trying to do, and that's play golf," he said.

A shattered Ernie Els rued the Internationals' inability to put Tiger Woods' triumphant team of US superstars to the sword after watching the Presidents Cup slip from his grasp.

The Internationals fell painfully short of claiming the trophy for the first time in 21 years after Woods inspired the US to an unprecedented 16-14 comeback win at Royal Melbourne.

While the US rejoiced in becoming the first team in Cup history to reign supreme after trailing into the Sunday singles, Els lamented the Internationals' failure to land the knockout blow.

Els' underdogs' had the chance to take a massive 9-1 buffer during Friday's foursomes but couldn't convert any of four live late-on leads into wins.

A succession of last-hole birdies from Patrick Cantlay, Tony Finau and Justin Thomas stole two-and-a-half points from the Internationals in a telling five-point swing that turned the tide the Americans' way.

"We talked about that, and that was probably the difference," Els said.

"We had so much momentum. We had so much going for us at the end there. They won that 18th hole twice and halved it - that's almost two-and-a-half points.

"Absolutely, that was something. I wouldn't say we totally lost momentum but it was to me. I felt it was a bit of a blow.

"The team didn't react in that way, which I was really proud of, but me as captain - and I didn't reveal it to them - but I felt we had them right in the headlock and we didn't quite finish it off on that particular time."

Despite his dejection, the skipper also found a silver lining from the heartbreaking defeat.

"Great strides were made, especially in our team play," Els said after the Internationals - fielding seven rookies and the youngest Presidents Cup line-up ever - led after the team's play for the first time since 2003.

"I really felt that our team play was really the core of our team, and that never was."

SNAPSHOT OF DAY FOUR OF THE PRESIDENTS CUP:

PLAYER OF THE DAY: Tiger Woods. Questions were asked about the playing captain's call to rest himself from day three but Woods came out firing on the final day to make an early statement that the US were on the march.

STAT OF THE DAY: Ernie Els' team became the first to lose the Presidents Cup after taking a lead into the final day.

TURNING POINT: American Tony Finau fighting back from four down to salvage half a point against Hideki Matsuyama broke the hearts of the Internationals.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "We gave it a hell of a go and we came mightily close to winning and upsetting one of the greatest golf teams of all time," said losing International captain Ernie Els.

CUP SUMMARY: So close and yet so far. The Internationals' hopes of their first victory since 1998 fell short on the final day when they surrendered a 10-8 lead to fall to a 16-14 defeat. US captain Tiger Woods finished the tournament with three wins from his three matches, while Cup bad boy Patrick Reed overcame a drama-packed week to also secure a crucial first victory.

HOW THE FINAL DAY OF THE PRESIDENTS CUP UNFOLDED AT ROYAL MELBOURNE:

SINGLES

Tiger Woods (USA) bt Abraham Ancer (Internationals) 3 and 2. Internationals lead USA 10-9.

- With seven birdies in 15 holes, Woods put the Internationals' previously unbeaten spearhead to the sword in a typically ruthless captain's display from the 15-times major champion. The perfect start which the US had to make.

Dustin Johnson (USA) bt Haotong Li (Internationals) 4 and 3. Internationals square with the USA 10-10.

- Johnson was never threatened after going three up through five holes, the former world No.1 consigning Cup rookie Li to the dubious place in the history books as the only International player not to contribute even half a point at the 2019 edition.

Patrick Reed (USA) bt CT Pan (Internationals) 4 and 2. USA lead Internationals 11-10.

- In an ironic twist, golf's Public Enemy No.1 put the US in front for the first time since Thursday morning with the most comprehensive victory of the day. Beaten in his previous three matches this week. Reed got off to a flyer, racing to six up through seven holes before a gallant fightback from Pan briefly reduced the lead to two. But a birdie at the 16th settled the issue.

Hideki Matsuyama (Internationals) tied Tony Finau (USA). USA lead Internationals 11.5 to 10.5.

- In a heartbreaker, Matsuyama was four up with eight holes to go only for Finau to win four successive holes from the 11th to 14th to turn the pivotal encounter around. Matsuyama will be kicking himself for also three-putting the 17th having regained the lead a hole earlier to gift the US a priceless half point.

Sungjae Im (Internationals) bt Gary Woodland (USA) 4 and 3. Internationals square with the USA 11.5 to 11.5.

Adam Hadwin (Internationals) tied Bryson DeChambeau (USA). Internationals square with the USA 12-12.

- In a game display after overcoming a bout of food poisoning, Hadwin never led all day and was two down through five holes before producing a tenacious fightback to claim half a point. The Canadian squared it up with a pressure birdie on the penultimate hole.

Patrick Cantlay (USA) bt Joaquin Niemann (Internationals) 3 and 2. USA lead Internationals 13-12.

- Cantlay won three straight holes from the fourth to the sixth to go from one down to two up only for Niemann to hit the lead with successive birdies on nine and 10. Not to be denied, Cantlay steadied to regain the lead for the US with a hot run of four more birdies in five holes to slam the door shut on the Cup's youngest player.

Xander Shauffele (USA) bt Adam Scott (Internationals) 2 and 1. USA lead Internationals 14-12.

- Schauffele started on fire, going five under through seven holes. But Scott rallied gamely, bombing two 13-metre putts to raise hopes of a miracle comeback win. The Australian No.1 eventually conceded on the 17th.

Webb Simpson (USA) bt Byeong Hun An (Internationals) 2 and 1. USA lead Internationals 15-12.

- Having gone winless in his previous three matches paired up with Reed, Simpson earned his first point with a relatively comfortable victory. Simpson was never headed after taking the second hole and had An dormie three before effectively giving the US match point.

Cameron Smith (Internationals) bt Justin Thomas (USA) 2 and 1. USA lead Internationals 15-13.

- A magnificent performance from Australia's Cup rookie, fighting back doggedly after three birdies in the first four holes gave Thomas a big early lead. Smith completed the comeback with a birdie on the 17th to inflict Thomas with his first defeat of the week and keep the Internationals' hopes of a tie flickering.

Louis Oosthuizen (Internationals) tied Matt Kuchar (USA). USA lead Internationals 15.5 to 13.5.

- With a none-from-four Presidents Cup singles record entering the penultimate match of the day, Kuchar finished an unlikely American hero after tapping in a two-metre birdie putt at the 17th to confirm the US victory. Kuchar had been three down at the turn before salvaging the critical half point.

Marc Leishman (Internationals) tied Rickie Fowler (USA). USA bt Internationals 16-14.

- The result ultimately didn't matter but the Internationals' still had hope of sharing the Cup until the 16th hole. Leishman made a great start, going two up after five holes but he needed a birdie on the last to salvage a honourable draw after Fowler made him grind all afternoon.

Tiger Woods was overcome with emotion after leading the United States to a historic Presidents Cup triumph over the Internationals at Royal Melbourne.

Juggling playing duties with captaincy commitments, Woods was the only competitor among 24 combatants to finish with a perfect record as the US completed an unprecedented last-day recovery mission.

The 15-time major champion sparked the US fightback when he downed the Internationals' previously unbeaten spearhead Abraham Ancer three and two in Sunday's opening singles match.

In doing so, Woods became the most prolific winner in Presidents Cup history, surpassing Phil Mickelson's 26 victories in the match-play event.

Subsequent wins for Dustin Johnson, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Webb Simpson and the maligned Patrick Reed and four halved matches were enough to secure the hot favourites a 16-14 triumph.

After trailing 10-8 following the four team sessions, the US are the first team to overturn a deficit in the deciding singles.

It was enough to choke up even the great Woods.

"It was an honour for me as a player and even more of an honour to be their captain," he said.

"It's been one of the more amazing challenges but all the guys, they believed in one another. We relied on one another as a team and we did it together.

"I trust all my 11 guys. I trust them implicitly; I told them from the very get go. They went out there and got the points we needed.

"This Cup wasn't going to be given to us. We had to go earn it, and we did."

Cup stalwart Matt Kuchar, who had lost all four of his previous singles encounters stretching back to 2011, clinched victory with a birdie on the 17th hole that ensured him a half point against Louis Oosthuizen after being three down at the turn.

But it was an even more stirring effort from Tony Finau, who rallied from four down against Hideki Matsuyama to also claim a priceless half point, that turned the tide the US's way.

Finau credited 43-year-old Woods, the Americans' oldest player who completed one of sport's greatest comebacks this year to win the Masters, for the Houdini act.

"I was four down with eight to go and I basically told myself, 'I can't give up on my teammates, my guys, my captain'," Finau said.

"Tiger, the story of his resilience, coming back from what he has with injuries and everything that he's been through, I think each of us, we just believe in each other because we know we could do what we did today, and we really believed that we could win the Cup.

"We were kind of against the odds, but we are very inspired to play for Tiger with Tiger and it's so satisfying to win this Cup because of that."

Cameron Smith and Sungjae Im were the only two Internationals to win on Sunday.

Smith rallied from three down after five holes to defeat Justin Thomas, who had been unbeaten, while Im also gave the Internationals a glimmer of hope with a four-and-three win over US Open champion Gary Woodland.

But while Ancer finished as the Internationals' top scorer with 3.5 points from a maximum of five, rookie Haotong Li earned a dubious place in the history books as the only player of the week not to contribute even half a point.

Just one point from Li would have earned Ernie Els' underdogs a draw and saved the Internationals from an eighth straight Presidents Cup loss.

The stage is set for a grandstand finish to the 2019 Presidents Cup after an afternoon of high drama and twists and turns at Royal Melbourne.

Team USA finally won a session to reduce a four-point deficit to just two, but it was an "unacceptable" collapse from American superstars Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler that left golf fans gobsmacked and with the Internationals in sight of a shock first triumph since 1998.

Thomas and Fowler squandered a five-hole advantage with eight to play to square their foursomes match with Marc Leishman and Abraham Ancer, who remains unbeaten on his Cup debut after the extraordinary comeback.

"Speechless - it's unacceptable for us to get a half a point," Thomas said before cursing himself especially for hooking his drive on the 18th under a tree, from which Fowler could only punch back out on to the fairway.

"They made a couple of long putts there on 15 and 16 to keep it going (but) we had our chances and, I mean (being) flat honest, I just didn't execute. I'm just disappointed in myself for burning that, I felt like, for us on 18."

The priceless half point ensures the Internationals will carry the lead into Sunday's deciding singles for the first time since last winning the Cup 21 years ago, also at Royal Melbourne.

The Internationals' 10-8 advantage leaves the heavily favoured and star-studded US outfit needing at least 7.5 points from the remaining 12 up for grabs to win the Cup for the eighth time in a row.

After seeing his team lose the morning fourball session 2.5 to 1.5 to trail 9-5 overall, US playing captain Tiger Woods was questioned for not picking himself in the foursomes.

When Dustin Johnson and Gary Woodland beat Adam Scott and Louis Oosthuizen two and one, and Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay downed Cameron Smith and Sungjae Im by the same scoreline, Woods, though, was looking like a genius.

But suddenly, the Internationals have all the momentum after Joaquin Niemann and Byeong Hun An had also charged back from two down with five to play to rescue half a point against Matt Kuchar and Tony Finau in the final match of the day.

"That momentum switch, that's definitely going to help," Leishman said.

"To have a lead going into Sunday, we haven't done that for a long time.

"Hopefully we can bring this energy tomorrow, play some good golf, get the crowds into it, and be nice to win."

Scott, the Internationals' spiritual leader, said the side's late stand couldn't be overstated.

"It showed our intentions as a team. There's a lot of heart sitting here next to me," he said.

"That was huge for us, and also Ben (An) and Joaquin Niemann digging deep and finding a halve. It goes a long, long way, the half-points.

"The scoreline is really good for us, considering what it was looking like with a couple hours to go.

"But tomorrow is another day. We're in the middle of a fight and we're all going to be up for it."

Tiger Woods' unflinching faith in Patrick Reed is proving an unmitigated disaster, with golf's most-polarising personality suffering a third-straight Presidents Cup defeat at Royal Melbourne.

Woods raised eyebrows even among American fans when he opted to pair up Reed with Webb Simpson again on Saturday, despite the duo being humbled in their opening two matches.

Heckled at every opportunity by fans after his cheating scandal last week in the Bahamas, Reed slumped to a crushing five-and-three fourball loss to Hideki Matsuyama and CT Pan on Saturday as the Internationals grabbed a 10-8 overall lead.

Reed was the only player not to win a single hole.

Seeking revenge, the heavy defeat comes two days after Matsuyama and Pan had beaten Reed and Simpson one up in the opening fourball session.

Marc Leishman and Abraham Ancer also hammered Reed and Simpson three and two in Friday's foursomes.

One of four captain's picks for the USA, Reed was finally omitted from Saturday afternoon's second round of foursomes.

But Woods refused to be critical of Reed and Simpson.

"They just ran into some guys that played well, made crucial putts at certain times," he said.

"Today, they just didn't play well, and that happens. But the last two matches, it just comes to a crucial putt here and there."

While unpopular with fans and even some of his peers on the US PGA Tour, Reed is nevertheless regarded as one of the game's most-resilient figures.

But the 2018 Masters champion faces a big test of his character on Sunday when Woods has no choice but to wheel Reed out for the singles.

Apart from his poor form, Reed's conduct has also been questioned at Royal Melbourne with Internationals star Cameron Smith saying he didn't understand why the American shouldered him on course on Thursday.

Seemingly upset at Smith's refusal to accept Reed's "bulls**t" excuse after copping a two-shot penalty for improving his bunker lie during a recent tournament, Reed bumped Smith two days ago after walking off the fifth green.

"I'm not really sure what it was about, to be honest," Smith said.

"I mean, I haven't said anything wrong ... let's just get on with our job and try and play the Presidents Cup."

Adding to his woes, Reed's caddie on Saturday night was stood down from the deciding singles after physical altercation with a fan.

Kessler Karain, also the American's his brother-in-law, admitted to shoving the heckler on Saturday after days of relentless abuse from anti-Reed fans.