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Golf great Nick Faldo has poured ice-cold water on Tiger Woods' hopes of winning the US PGA Championship.

Instead, six-time major winner Faldo believes big bombers Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson are among the stars likely to tame the notoriously-difficult Bethpage Black course in New York.

Woods reignited hopes he can chase down Jack Nicklaus' record 18 major titles when he came from behind to win the Masters in April, his 15th major and first in 11 years.

Woods also has a stellar record at Bethpage, including winning the 2002 US Open in wire-to-wire fashion, as well finishing sixth in 2009.

But six-time winner Faldo, a respected tv golf analyst, says it's a different story now for the 43-year-old Woods.

"No, no, no," Faldo told reporters when asked if four-time PGA Championship winner Woods could triumph this week at a rain-soaked, 7400-yard Bethpage.

"Tiger has still got the intimidation factor ... (but) he is not going to win.

"Bethpage will beat Tiger this week. It's a brute.

"The beast will beat the Tiger."

Perhaps supporting Faldo's claim is the fact Woods did not show for practice on Wednesday and is rumoured to be carrying a sickness.

Woods and two-time PGA champion Rory McIlroy are among the betting favourites to win the year's second major.

The PGA is being held in May for the first time after shedding its mid-summer August date.

McIlroy's length is an advantage at a long course which will play longer with cold air decreasing the carry of shots while wet conditions will hinder the ball from rolling out.

Despite McIlroy's sensational form in 2019, including his victory at the elite Players Championship, Faldo has little faith the Northern Irishman can claim a fifth major title this week.

His fourth and most recent major victory was the 2014 PGA Championship.

"I have got question marks against Rory, Tiger, and Jordan (Spieth)," Faldo said.

"We are just not sure with Rory if he can turn it on and stay at the top level. If it is going to be a par-fest, has he got the patience for that?

"He has got issues with distance control with the wedges and his putting stroke, at times, lets him down."

Instead, Faldo believes three-time major winner Koepka is a strong chance to successfully defend his 2018 PGA Championship title.

But he says Justin Rose, Francesco Molinari and world No.1 Johnson are also good chances to win.

Australia will field an eight-player contingent at Bethpage.

Jason Day, the 2015 PGA Championship winner, is the stand-out given his great record at the event.

The former world No.1 also has a runner-up result among five top 10s from nine appearances.

Countryman Adam Scott is also one to watch given he finished third last year behind Koepka, having played in the final group with the American and even briefly held the back-nine lead.

Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith round out the US tour-based Australian players.

Leishman said a back injury that forced his withdrawal from last week's PGA Tour event in Dallas was "fine" after rehabilitation.

Also in the 156-player field is rising European Tour star Lucas Herbert, as well as 15-time Japan Tour winner Brendan Jones.

Craig Hocknull and Stuart Deane are the Australian club pros who qualified via the PGA Professionals Championship.

Jason Day has declared his intention to represent Australia at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, admitting it was disappointing to skip the 2016 edition in Brazil due to fears of the Zika virus.

Day was eligible to play on the Australian men's team in Rio de Janeiro but was among a plethora of golf stars who avoided the risk of exposure to the mosquito-transmitted Zika, which is prevalent in Brazil.

But with the 2020 summer games being held in Tokyo, Day is keen for a chance to become an Olympian after golf was reintroduced in 2016 following a 112-year absence.

"Yeah of course I'd love to play in 2020," Day told AAP on Wednesday at the US PGA Championship in New York.

"Last time, (wife Ellie) and I were still trying to have kids and there was a chance of the Zika virus. That was the only concern we had.

"But if I have the opportunity to play in Tokyo, then I'm there.

"To represent your country is always special and to know you are an Olympian is something I'm aiming for."

In 2016, the men's and women's events each had 60 players, with the top 15 golfers on the world rankings automatically eligible to play.

Countries were allowed to field four players through the top 15, while the remaining spots were filled by the highest-ranked players from countries that do not already have two golfers qualified.

Day, countrymen Adam Scott and Marc Leishman all declined, leaving Marcus Fraser and Scott Hend to represent Australia.

Former world No.1 Scott was strongly opposed to golf's Olympic reintroduction at the time, stating the majors were priority for many golfers.

"My position hasn't really changed from; it is certainly not the priority for me," Scott said at at Bethpage in New York.

"It's so far down the list of thought, I can't give a good indication of where I'll be at at that point."

Scott also pointed to a scheduling issue, with the 2020 Olympics beginning just five days after golf's British Open in England.

The Olympics will also come just a couple of weeks before the US PGA Tour's US$70 million (A$101m) FedEx Cup playoffs series.

"I don't know what's going to happen, whether (PGA Tour) events will be moved around again, but every (player) will end up making decisions that best suits them," Scott said.

However, Scott would not be eligible based on the current world rankings - Australia's team would be world No.14 Day and No.23 Leishman.

Leishman was also fearful of the Zika virus in 2016 but is eager to represent Australia next year.

Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy said he would represent Ireland, rather than Great Britain, in 2020 while Tiger Woods confirmed he would represent the American team if eligible.

Tiger Woods has opted for rest rather than practice on the eve of the US PGA Championship as he prepares to chase a 16th major title.

Woods had been expected to play nine holes at Bethpage on Wednesday and his agent, Mark Steinberg, was quick to allay fears that the 43-year-old was ill or injured.

"He's all good, just getting some rest," Steinberg told ESPN.

"(He) saw the course last week, all is good."

Woods played a practice round at Bethpage a week ago and can also call on his memories of leading from start to finish to win the US Open here in 2002. The former world No.1 was sixth when the championship returned to the same venue in 2009.

Woods has not played competitively since winning the Masters last month and appeared to be walking gingerly on his way to filming a television interview a few days later. His victory at Augusta National came two years after undergoing spinal fusion surgery.

"There's definitely going to be a component to stamina this week as the week goes on," Woods said in his pre-tournament press conference on Tuesday.

"Four days over a tough championship that is mentally and physically taxing takes its toll."

Woods is scheduled to tee off at 8:24am local time (10:24pm AEST) on Thursday, alongside defending champion Brooks Koepka and Open champion Francesco Molinari.

Adam Scott admits throwing away chances to win the past three majors is frustrating but he plans to take it out on the US PGA Championship at New York's infamous Bethpage Black.

Scott arrived on Long Island at the weekend to prepare for the second major of the year - still reeling from squandering a share of the 36-hole lead at last month's Masters, where he finished 18th.

The Augusta major presented a chance for Scott to add to his 2013 Masters victory and to atone for squandering opportunities at last year's British Open and US PGA Championship.

At the 2018 PGA, Scott played in the final group with eventual winner Brooks Koepka and even held a share of the lead late on the back nine on Sunday.

Scott is chuffed with his 18-month resurgence following a lean 2017/18 season, when he plummeted to No.76 on the world rankings.

But he's getting tired of the close calls at the majors.

"I've put myself in a good position in the last three majors but I need to bring one home soon," Scott told AAP at Bethpage.

"It's great getting in position but you have to convert them because it can go the other way (frustration).

"I'm preparing really well but I have to find another gear; whether it's Saturday night, or Sunday mid round, to make sure I'm the one coming up the last with the lead in these majors."

However, Scott is backing himself to put four solid rounds together this week on a 7400-yard Bethpage that, on paper, is tailor-made for his world-class ball-striking.

The hilly Bethpage demands long, accurate drives and precision iron play to avoid its thick rough.

But Scott tied for fourth the last time he played at Bethpage, when it hosted the US PGA Tour's Barclays event in 2016.

Statistically, he led the elite field that week for ball-striking from tee to green.

"It's a great course for me; I have to do what I do best, and that's driving it in the fairway," Scott said.

"I need to wear out the golf course because Bethpage is going to ask a lot of questions about my irons from 170 yards.

"With my ball-striking, I can hit a lot of greens from that range so I am at a big advantage but I need to capitalise."

Jordan Spieth is not wasting time thinking about completing the career grand slam as he begins a third bid to seal a full set of major titles at this week's PGA Championship.

The 25-year-old American is not among the favourites at Bethpage Black this week given his recent form, but he feels the day will come when he completes his major collection.

"Not much, honestly," he said when asked about how much time in his preparations he has spent contemplating the career grand slam.

"Certainly every PGA Championship week I understand that that's going to be the case, and I think I'd be the sixth person, which would be a pretty unique fraternity to be in there," Spieth told his pre-tournament news conference.

"That would be a dream come true for me. But I also recognise that if I continue to stay healthy and play well, I'll have, I don't know, 30 chances at it. One of them is bound to go my way, right?"

Spieth's last victory came at the 2017 British Open at Royal Birkdale, a triumph that gave him the third leg of the career grand slam. He has been struggling this season, however, to regain his status among golf's elite.

The former world No.1 is now 39th in the rankings and has yet to finish in the top 20 of any tournament this season as he works on fixing some technical aspects of his game.

"My setup got a little bit lazy, and instead of finding that out, my swing started to kind of go up instead of around me, and I'm trying to get it right back to where it was in 2017 where I was first in tee to green on the (PGA) Tour," said Spieth.

"I can kind of do what I'm trying to do, but to consistently time it is just going to take a little bit of time."

US PGA CHAMPIONSHIP IN NUMBERS

1 - World No.1 Dustin Johnson will seek a first US PGA Championship and second major title at Bethpage Black.

2 - Rory McIlroy has won the US PGA twice, with his victory at Valhalla in 2014 the last of his four major wins.

3 - The number of holes over which a playoff will be contested, if required.

4 - Walter Hagen won the championship four years in succession from 1924, when it was a match-play event.

5 - Walter Hagen and Jack Nicklaus share the overall record for US PGA Championship wins. Nicklaus was runner-up on four occasions.

6 - Jordan Spieth has the chance to become the sixth player to complete a career grand slam - the others are Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tiger Woods.

7 - The late Arnold Palmer won seven major titles but never the US PGA, thereby missing out on a career grand slam.

8 - McIlroy won by a record eight shots in 2012.

9 - The most shots under par for a round in the championship. Three men have shot 63 on a par-72 course - Player at Shoal Creek in 1984, Jose Maria Olazabal at Valhalla in 2000 and Hiroshi Iwata at Whistling Straits in 2015.

10 - Tom Watson recorded 10 top-10 finishes in the US PGA but didn't win the title, notably squandering a five-shot lead after 54 holes in 1978.

11 - Years between major championship wins for Tiger Woods (2008 US Open to 2019 Masters)

12 - The longest gap between US PGA victories is 12 years, 11 months and 22 days (Ray Floyd 1969-82)

13 - American players have won the US PGA Championship 13 times in the past 21 years.

14 - At 161 yards, the par-three 14th at Bethpage is the shortest hole on the course.

15 - Tiger Woods is the pre-tournament favourite after winning his 15th major title in last month's Masters.

16 - Brooks Koepka was 16 under par in winning at Bellerive last year.

17 - Two-time winner Ray Floyd recorded a total of 17 top-20 finishes in the US PGA.

18 - Jack Nicklaus won a record 18 majors during his career, including five US PGA titles.

Jason Day admits a one-hole meltdown during last month's Masters still stings but it's added motivation at this week's US PGA Championship in New York.

Day, the 2015 PGA Championship winner, was well in contention at Augusta National during the third round before carding a sloppy double-bogey at the par-5 15th.

"I've never been angrier on a golf course, or in my life, than I was that day," Day told AAP at PGA host venue Bethpage Black on Tuesday.

Day eventually finished two shots behind winner Tiger Woods at the Masters, in a tie for fifth.

"Coming off Augusta and being in the spotlight with regards to trying to win the Masters for the first time makes you itch to get back out at a major," Day said.

For 31-year-old Day, his emotional state before the Masters and the PGA Championship could not be more contrasting.

The Masters is stressful for any top player trying to win for the first time and Day admits it is the title he wants more than any other.

But the PGA Championship is Day's bread and butter and it's timely for him, with changed dates putting it the month after the Masters.

The Queenslander's record at the PGA Championship is sensational, with a win and a runner-up finish among five top-10 finishes from nine starts.

At the 2015 edition at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, he became the first golfer to win a major championship with a 20-under-par total.

"Having that experience and those good memories is a massive weapon to have on my side; I know I can play well at this event if I stay disciplined," Day said.

"I play pretty decent on this golf course, too," added Day, referring to his fourth placing when the PGA Tour's Barclays event was held at Bethpage Black in 2016.

Day flew to New York to play an 18-hole practice round on the notoriously-difficult, 7400-yard Bethpage Black on Saturday.

He then returned home to Ohio before coming back to New York on Tuesday to begin his PGA Championship campaign.

"The preparation is coming along nicely; I sorted some things in my game out with (coach) Col (Swatton) and I feel ready for a major," Day said.

Day is among eight Australians in the field, including fellow big names Adam Scott, Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith.

The quartet are joined by rising European Tour star Lucas Herbert and Japan Tour winner Brendan Jones, as well as PGA Professionals Championship qualifiers Stuart Deane and Craig Hocknull.

Brooks Koepka admits his much-scrutinised outcast persona has spiralled out of control but is not a distraction from his title defence at the US PGA Championship in New York.

In fact, Koepka has set a goal of winning 10 major championships having claimed three already in his stellar career.

Koepka is among the betting favourites to win the PGA at the 7,400-yard Bethpage Black course in New York, the second major of the year.

But Koepka was dismissed last week by Golf Channel pundit Brandel Chamblee.

Chamblee, a former US PGA Tour player, declared world No.3 Koepka was "just not in the class" of Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy when asked who Masters champion Woods' greatest challengers were.

He omitted Koepka and the 29-year-old responded by posting a photo to social media of Chamblee with a clown nose photoshopped on his face.

Their feud peaked in March when Chamblee claimed Koepka, who intentionally lost 12 kilograms of bodyweight, was "the greatest self-sabotage of an athlete in his prime" he had seen.

There was intense speculation the muscular Koepka had lost the weight to pose for ESPN's Body Issue magazine.

But Koepka conceded he intentionally fuelled his lone wolf persona.

The Florida native has repeatedly told golf media that he is "underrated" and "overlooked" at tournaments where bigger names such as Woods, McIlroy and Johnson are competing.

"Some of it was a little bit manufactured," Koepka said on Tuesday at Bethpage.

"(But) some of it was quite real. It just kind of took on a mind of its own.

"I think you've got to find a chip or something to motivate yourself and give you that extra little going into a tournament."

Koepka's rise has been meteoric in the past two years, winning three of the past seven majors.

He became the first to defend a US Open title (2017 and 2018) in almost 30 years, while he held off Australia's Adam Scott and Woods at last year's PGA Championship.

But he believes he never received the plaudits he deserved.

"I was just at a point where I'd felt if other players had done that, it would have been a way bigger deal," Koepka said.

With his three majors among five US PGA Tour titles and several stints as world No.1, Koepka is all but assured of a Hall of Fame career.

But he has not intentions of resting on his laurels.

"I don't see any reason it can't get to double digits (in major victories)," Koepka said.

"I think sometimes the majors are the easiest ones to win. Half the people shoot themselves out of it, and mentally I know I can beat most of them."

Koepka is certainly not afraid of Woods, who beat him by a shot to win the Masters in April.

"I mean, what's the point in fearing anybody? We're not fighting," Koepka said.

"(Woods) not going to knock my teeth in, so what's there to be afraid of?"

Tiger Woods says his storied quest to chase down Jack Nicklaus' record 18 major championship wins will require a delicate balancing act with his ageing body during the next few years.

Woods captured the imagination of the sporting world in April when he bagged an emotional, come-from-behind victory at the Masters for his fifth win at Augusta National and 15th major title.

It leaves Nicklaus' 18 majors in sight for Woods and his mission resumes this week at the US PGA Championship at New York's Bethpage Black course.

But Woods has not played competitive golf since sending 'Tigermania' into overdrive at the Masters.

He "was not ready" and withdrew from the Wells Fargo event earlier in May.

Although four-time PGA Championship winner Woods has a rich history at Bethpage, many have questioned whether he will be sharp enough for the year's second major - which is being held in May for the first time.

But Woods, a winner of 81 US PGA Tour titles, says capturing more major wins will require resisting the urge to play frequently.

"I need to give myself the best chance to win the events I play in, and sometimes that can be taking more breaks," said Woods.

The 43-year-old Woods, whose four back surgeries include having spinal fusion in 2017, conceded that dominating golf the way he did during the late 1990s and 2000s is unlikely.

"Whether I'm dominant or not going forward, that remains to be seen," he said.

"I can't spend four-hour periods on the range every day working explosively on every part of my game; those days are gone.

"The body doesn't bounce back quite as well, so I've got to be aware of that.It's the fickle nature of having my back fused."

So how can Woods find an edge among golf's big-hitting and younger stars such as Brooks Koepka and Rory McIlroy?

"I end up spending a lot of time on my short game; pitching and putting, wedging," Woods said.

Woods' only public appearances recently have been at the White House, where he accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Donald Trump, as well as a one-day reconnaissance mission to Bethpage last week.

But Woods insists his game is ready for the PGA Championship having spent considerable time practising at his home base of Jupiter, Florida.

"Coming here is a different story; I've put in the time and I feel rested and ready," he said.

Woods is among the betting favourites at the PGA Championship, given his resurgence and history - he won the 2002 US Open at Bethpage and also tied sixth there in the 2009 US Open.

"I'm excited to get out there on the course," Woods said of the Long Island course, which will measure 7,400 yards this week.

"This is not only a big golf course, but it's going to be a long week.This could be a hell of a championship."

Cameron Smith is bracing himself for a fierce examination at this week's US PGA Championship on New York's Bethpage Black golf course.

The 25-year-old Queenslander has never played the famously-difficult layout on Long Island and was unable to tee up in practice on Monday as heavy rain washed out the course in the afternoon.

Smith was restricted to short-game practice only, while fellow Australian stars Jason Day, Marc Leishman and Adam Scott were not at the venue.

World No.29 Smith was not in the field when the 7400-yard Bethpage Black hosted the 2012 and 2016 Barclays tournament during the US PGA Tour's playoffs series.

"Basically, all I've heard is how hard it is, and how long it plays, and it's going to play long this week," Smith told AAP on Monday.

While the rain is set to disappear for Tuesday and Wednesday practice rounds, temperatures are forecast to be 18 degrees or lower throughout the week.

It's a dramatic weather change for the major championship, which is being held in May for the first time.

Previously the PGA occupied a mid-summer August date and was known for its sweltering heat and humidity.

Smith is among eight Australians in the field, including 2015 PGA Championship winner Day, Scott and Leishman.

The quartet are joined by rising European Tour star Lucas Herbert and the Japan Tour's Brendan Jones, as well as PGA Professionals Championship qualifiers Stuart Deane and Craig Hocknull.

Smith is coming off two consecutive missed cuts on the US Tour and hasn't finished in the top 10 since the WGC-Mexico in February.

But the Florida-based Smith says a two-week rest has him recharged and feeling ready for a return to form.

"I've had a couple weeks off which is nice and refreshing and good for the melon (mind)," Smith said.

The entire top 100 golfers inthe world rankings were set to contest the PGA Championship before world No.5 and 2017 winner Justin Thomas withdrew on Monday due to a wrist injury.