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Queensland's Andrew Dodt produced the round of his career to rocket into contention at the NSW Open with a stunning course record at Sydney's Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club.

Dodt scorched around the layout on Friday, racking up 11 birdies to card a 61 and take a one-stroke lead into the penultimate round at 14-under.

The 33-year-old, who was only participating because the Hong Kong Open was postponed due to ongoing political violence, described his 18-hole masterclass as easily the highlight of his life as a professional.

"That was the best round of my pro career so far," he said.

"I got hot around the turn and made a few birdies, and then I started getting a bit nervy thinking 'I'm getting pretty low here'."

Newcastle-based Dodt knew he needed at least two birdies on his back nine to challenge last year's course record, a 10-under 62 by reigning NSW Open champion Jake McLeod.

With that goal achieved he comfortably parred the last three holes.

"I didn't give myself great chances on the last three, but all in all a great day's work," he said.

West Australian 21-year-old Min Woo Lee leads the chasers after he added a 67 to his superb opening round 64 to stay on track for his maiden professional win.

Overnight leader Josh Younger constructed a solid 70 to be three shots of the pace.

Min Woo Lee has rebounded from the heartbreak of missing out on a full European Tour card to emerge as favourite to win the NSW Open at Twin Creeks Golf Club.

The younger brother of Australian women's No.1 Minjee, Lee carved out an eight-under-par 64 on Thursday to trail tyro first-round leader Josh Younger by a shot.

Lee eagled the 12th hole after driving the short par-4 and collected seven birdies on a day of hot scoring in Sydney's smoggy west.

"I just played pretty solid. Kinda stress-free," Lee said.

"I said yesterday there were a lot of chances out there and I rolled the putter great."

Lee's blistering start comes barely a month after a sloppy finish at the season-ending Portugal Masters cost the 21-year-old his full 2020 playing rights in Europe.

Lee finished two positions outside of the top 115 golfers who automatically get a full card for next year, earning partial rights instead, after finding the water on the penultimate hole.

"For the last few months I got told that I had my card wrapped up and I didn't need any more invites or anything," he told AAP at Twin Creeks.

"Yeah, I didn't know until the cameras came out on 17 and 18 that I was the bubble boy, which was kind of heartbreaking because I made a double (bogey) on 17.

"If I knew I would have played a little bit different. There was water right. Obviously I'm not trying to hit it but I definitely could have done 500 million more things differently.

"It was just a bit of an unlucky thing but I'm still in a pretty good position for next year so I'm just happy where I am."

He's also in a pretty good position to claim his maiden victory on home soil after a series of top-10 finishes in Europe and Australasia.

Younger leads the way at nine-under, one clear of Lee and Justin Warren, after an incredible opening to the tournament featured seven birdies in his first eight holes during a front-nine 29.

The leader credited his mental and swing coaches for his stunning opening.

"Just the work I've done over the past couple of months with my mental coach has been the big difference. It just clicked today," Younger said.

With former NRL star Braith Anasta carrying his clubs, exciting young amateur Nathan Barbieri fired a seven-under 65 to sit just two shots off the pace.

Another of the Anasta-managed mob Dimi Papadatos is also two back along with Travis Smyth.

Four days after one season ended, the next will get under way on Thursday with the European Tour breaking new ground in South Africa.

With temperatures forecast to reach 40c during the Alfred Dunhill Championship, players have been given permission to wear shorts on competition days for the first time.

Australia's sole representative is Jake McLeod, who maintained his European Tour status last week and now won't be defending his NSW Open crown, which also gets underway on Thursday.

The 25-year-old Queenslander will be among the opening group to tee off at Leopard Creek in Mpumalanga, alongside Jonathan Caldwell of Northern Ireland and South African Daniel Greene.

McLeod maintained his European Card by finishing 15th in the 153-man qualifying school field at the six-round final stage in Tarragona, Spain.

South Africa's four-time winner Charl Schwartzel is among the favourites for his home tournament, despite not having played competitively since April due to a wrist injury.

"I haven't played for eight months," the former Masters champion said.

"If I was ever going to make a comeback, it was going to be the best place for me to start.

"I'm not 100 per cent, as I would want to be, but I had a few good weeks practising in America, so I thought I'd come down. For me, just to be able to play and walk the fairways and compete, that will be a win."

Not content with qualifying for the NSW Open in spectacular fashion, 14-year-old golf sensation Jake Riley hopes to feature on the weekend at Twin Creeks.

Riley claimed one of the last spots in the 156-man field when he chipped in on the final hole during qualifying at Liverpool on Monday.

The teenager's late entry earned him a first-round tee time with long-hitting Lincoln Tighe on Thursday - not that he'll be trying to keep pace with the Open's monster drivers.

"I can't try and hit it as far as him so I've just got to play my own game," Riley told AAP on Wednesday.

"I've played enough golf with the men to know I've just got to stick to my own game, not get up with what others are doing."

After first picking up a club at three, then attending regular clinics by seven, Riley began to really take golf seriously at 12.

Two years on and after forging his path through the Jack Newton junior events, Riley last month won the Toronto club championship before backing up to take down the best men's players in Newcastle to claim the district championship.

Playing off a plus-one handicap, Riley knows he can compete with the big boys and hopes to prove it on his biggest stage yet.

"I know I'm playing well at the moment so I've just got to treat it like a normal round and play golf and see how it pans out," he said of his Open debut, having carried the bag of his coach - former US PGA Tour winner Nathan Green - for the past two years.

"It's a big thrill. You know you can go out there and play well but then to do it and qualify for the NSW Open is pretty awesome.

"Obviously to make the cut would be awesome. I'm just going to treat it like any other round and play golf - and try and play good golf."

US PGA Tour player Rhein Gibson will start as tournament favourite.

Gibson returns to Australia in pursuit of a maiden title on home soil after a successful year in America which included a win at the Korn Ferry Tour's BMW Charity Pro-Am in June.

That secondary tour win helped to ensure Gibson's return to the PGA tour this season.

After 20 years competing on the European tour - and earning about $11.5 million - something probably had to give for popular Australian golfer Brett Rumford.

The 42-year-old is finally pain-free again and seeking a first title since February 2017 at this week's NSW Open in Sydney, having undergone right wrist surgery a year ago.

The six-time winner on the European Tour struggled this year and lost his full card, though he can still get some starts in the new season as an injury exemption.

"My wrist is starting to feel better. It's just a matter of getting things going again," Rumford told RSN.

"It will never be the same. There is quite a lot of reduced movement in the actual wrist.

"But it's pain free. So I can actually get out there and hit golf balls. That's the main thing."

The pain from his injury had badly affected his golf game.

"Last year was just a dead year for me unfortunately," he said

"I was hitting shanks quite regularly as the wrist bent in my back swing."

Rumford was one of 12 late additions to the NSW Open field, accepting an invitation after the postponement of the European Tour's Hong Kong Open - which was also due to start on Thursday.

Australia's Jason Scrivener saved his best round until last to claim an excellent shared tenth place at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

The 30-year-old carded a seven-under par 65 in the UAE on Sunday to finish tied with England's Andy Sullivan on eight under overall, following up previous rounds of 71, 72 and 72.

The result means the Perth-based golfer, who had qualified for the European Tour's season-ending event for the first time - courtesy of his tied third place at last week's Nedbank Challenge in South Africa - moved up three places to finish 32nd in the Race to Dubai rankings, having played 26 tournaments over the course of the campaign.

Scrivener's fellow Australian, Scott Hend, finished tied for 49th place in Dubai on nine over par with Italy's Andrea Pavan.

The prestigious tournament was won by Spain's Jon Rahm, who held off a thrilling charge from Tommy Fleetwood to ensure he also doubled up to finish No.1 in Europe for 2019.

Rahm enjoyed a six-shot lead after seven holes of the final round but eventually had to birdie the 18th to complete a closing 68 and finish 19 under par, a shot ahead of Ryder Cup teammate Tommy Fleetwood.

Fleetwood birdied five of the last seven holes to fire a brilliant closing 65 in pursuit of a second consecutive win after his victory ahead of Scrivener in Sun City last week, but could only look on as Rahm held his nerve to get up and down from a greenside bunker on the last.

Rahm is just the second Spanish player after Seve Ballesteros to finish the year as European No.1 and the 25-year-old was emotional as he contemplated that achievement.

Spain's Jon Rahm held off a thrilling charge from Tommy Fleetwood to win the DP World Tour Championship and the Race to Dubai.

Rahm enjoyed a six-shot lead after seven holes of the final round but eventually had to birdie the 18th to complete a closing 68 and finish 19 under par, a shot ahead of Ryder Cup teammate Fleetwood.

Fleetwood birdied five of the last seven holes to fire a brilliant closing 65 in pursuit of a second consecutive win after his victory in Sun City, but could only watch as Rahm held his nerve to get up and down from a greenside bunker on the last.

The 25-year-old is just the second Spanish player after Seve Ballesteros to finish the year as European No.1.

"Seve is such an idol for all of us and so are Sergio (Garcia) and Olly (Jose Maria Olazabal) and so many of the great Spanish players and to think that I'm putting my name there before they do is hard to believe," Rahm told Sky.

"I can't believe some of the things I've accomplished."

Rahm began the final round tied for the lead with France's Mike Lorenzo-Vera, but birdied five of the first seven holes at Jumeirah Golf Estates to open up a six-shot lead.

A bogey on the eighth coupled with Lorenzo-Vera's birdie on the same hole reduced Rahm's lead to four shots and the world No.5 then three-putted the ninth to give the chasing pack some hope.

Rahm, who had not played competitively since winning the Spanish Open at the start of October, produced the ideal response with a birdie from 12 feet on the 10th.

However, a bogey on the 13th was Rahm's first dropped shot on the back nine all week and opened the door for the chasing pack.

Lorenzo-Vera took advantage with a birdie from close range for a two-shot swing and he soon had company in second place as Fleetwood birdied the 12th, 14th and 15th.

Lorenzo-Vera was inches away from an eagle on the par-five 14th but Rahm, who had been forced to lay up after finding the rough off the tee, matched the birdie after a brilliant approach to remain two ahead.

Rahm looked to have weathered the storm but surprisingly three-putted the 15th from no great distance and up ahead Fleetwood birdied the 17th and 18th to move into a tie for the lead.

After a perfect drive Rahm pushed his approach into a greenside bunker, but hit a superb shot to three feet and held his nerve to hole the birdie putt and seal a victory worth US$ 5million ($A7.4 million).

Rahm collects the first prize of US$ 3million and a bonus of US$ 2 million for winning the Race to Dubai.

Sei Young Kim will take a one-shot lead into the final round of the season-ending LPGA's Tour Championship, with the richest prize ever in women's golf on the line.

The South Korean had only one birdie on the back nine to card a four-under 68 on Saturday to sit at 16-under 200.

Kim leads from American Nelly Korda, who had eight birdies after a double bogey on the third hole, to fire a 66 to lift her to 15-under.

Germany's Caroline Masson (70) is at 12-under while England's Charley Hull (66) is shot further back.

Su Oh mixed four birdies with two bogeys to keep herself in contention with a 70 to be in a share of fifth at 10-under, and best of the four Australians in the field.

Katherine Kirk also carded a 70 on Saturday to be at five-under while fellow Aussies Hannah Green (73) and Minjee Lee (75) are well back at four over.

Kim led by as many as five shots with three birdies over the opening seven holes but she stalled on the back nine of Tiburon Golf Club as Korda made her move.

"I had a pretty solid round front nine," Kim said.

"But back nine was little tough to focus. I kept thinking about future, so I was like, 'Nope, Sei Young. Stop thinking. Focus on it'.

Korda began the back nine with three straight birdies, including a bunker shot she holed, and shot 31 on the back for a 66.

"I told myself to be really aggressive on the back nine, and it worked out today," world No.3 Korda said.

Kim and Korda will play in the final group, along with Masson, with a cheque of $1.5 million ($A2.2m) for the winner at stake.

World No.1 and LPGA player of the year Jin Young Ko moved up the leaderboard with a 66 to be in the group along with Oh and Jessica Korda (69), the oldest sister of Nelly Korda, six shots behind Kim.

Defending champion Lexi Thompson (70) made an early charge, only to be slowed by a pair of bogeys on the back nine to leave her in a group tied for ninth seven shots off the lead.

The format changed this year from a points-based system in which only the top 12 players had a shot at a $1m ($A1.47m) bonus to any of the 60 players who made it to the Tour Championship being in contention for the major prize by winning the tournament.

The remarkable rise of Brendon Todd showed no sign of waning when he charged into the third-round lead of the PGA Tour's RSM Classic in Georgia.

Todd, seeking a rare hat-trick of consecutive victories tour, putted sublimely on Saturday to card eight-under-par 62 on the Seaside course at Sea Island.

It was just about the worse score he could have shot, as he lipped out several putts, including a 30-foot birdie chance at the last that left him laughing when it caught a large part of the cup but refused to drop.

Todd posted an 18-under 194 total to lead by two shots heading into the final round.

A win on Sunday would make him the first player since Tiger Woods in 2006 to win three consecutive PGA Tour events.

Dustin Johnson in 2017 was the last to win three-straight starts, though he skipped a tournament during that run.

Todd's fellow American Webb Simpson (63) and Colombian Sebastian Munoz (66) are equal second in Georgia on 16-under.

D.J. Trahan (67) is solo fourth at 15-under while Tyler Duncan, who started the third round with a two-shot lead, made 18 pars for a 70 to be tied for fifth at 14-under.

Australian Rhein Gibson will need a miracle to contend after a four-over 74, which included a double bogey and triple bogey on the last resulted in him plummeting from equal second overnight to tied 39th at eight-under.

His compatriot Matt Jones fared marginally better with a two-over 72 that left him at four-under and a share of 69th.

Todd, who overcame a case of the full yips that nearly drove him from the game, was ranked 525th in the world before winning the Bermuda Open three weeks ago.

He followed up with victory at last week's Mayakoba Classic in Mexico.

He missed 37 of 41 cuts from 2016-18 before regaining his PGA Tour card this year.

Along the way he read a book by Australian golfer Bradley Hughes and began working with the writer and swing guru.

"I went and saw him and it's just kind of been a home run ever since," Todd said in a May interview.

Spain's Jon Rahm carded a spectacular six-under 66 to claim a share of the lead after three rounds at the DP World Tour Championship on Saturday and put himself in the driving seat for the season-ending Race to Dubai crown.

Rahm's four birdies on the back nine moved him up to 15 under at Jumeirah Golf Estates alongside overnight leader Mike Lorenzo-Vera, who dropped a shot at the 18th for the second straight day to shoot 69.

Australia's Jason Scrivener carded a second successive round of 72 to sit on one under for a share of 29th place.

Rahm, who could become only the second Spaniard to win the Race to Dubai or its predecessor the European Order of Merit after the late Seve Ballesteros, refused to get carried away.

"It gives me goosebumps to think about that," he said.

"I've said it many times, as a Spanish player, any time you join or you have the chance to put your name on a list where there's only one name and that name is Seve, it's pretty impactful. It's really emotional for all of us.

"To think not even Sergio (Garcia) or Miguel Angel (Jimenez) or Ollie (Jose Maria Olazabal) or many other great players couldn't get it done. It's hard to believe that I have the chance to be the second."

World No.2 Rory McIlroy continued his rollercoaster run in Dubai as he followed up a 64 and 74 in the opening two rounds with a superb 65.

Playing in his final tournament of the year, the Northern Irishman began with two birdies before an eagle on the par-five seventh and a birdie on the next ensured he made the turn in 31.

McIlroy gained two more shots on the back nine to finish two strokes behind the leaders.

Race to Dubai leader Bernd Wiesberger's hopes of ending the season as European No.1 suffered a blow as he posted four bogeys in a five-hole stretch on his way to a 73.

The Austrian is two under for the tournament, 13 shots off the lead.

England's Tommy Fleetwood played a stunning bunker shot on the final hole for a birdie to move to 11 under par and stay in contention for his second Race to Dubai title in three years.