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Major winner Geoff Ogilvy says the Vic Open is now a much bigger golf tournament than the men's Australian Open in just about every measure.

The long-time US PGA Tour star has scaled back his schedule this year for family reasons, giving him the perfect opportunity to play the Vic Open for the first time since it moved to the unique format of staging the the men's and women's tournaments concurrently at the same venue.

Total prize money has increased ten-fold in the space of seven years to $A3 million - shared equally between the men and the women.

It dwarfs the $1.25 million on offer for last year's men's Australian Open at The Lakes.

"This is a bigger tournament than the Australian Open right now by a long way; maybe not in prestige, but in every other factor, every other measure," Ogilvy told reporters on Wednesday.

The 2006 US Open winner says there's no reason why the same dual-tournament format couldn't be taken up by Golf Australia to boost the national Open.

"It only adds to each tournament on each side," he said.

"The guys' tournament certainly helps the girls' tournament, and I think the girls' side helps our tournament because you get the fans that would only go watch one side of things, now they go watch both sides of things.

"And it works in other sports. In tennis it always works."

The tournament has also benefited by word of mouth from players who have lauded the unique dynamic at 13th Beach.

"The Vic Open is a relevant tournament in the world this week," said Ogilvy.

"People are noticing because of the equal prize money and the LPGA and the guys thing. That's a big deal."

The women's Vic Open has received a huge boost this year after being included on the LPGA Tour schedule for the first time, the same status as for next week's women's Australian Open in Adelaide.

Ogilvy can see the benefits of all the big Australian men's tournaments also being shifted to early in the new year, rather than November and December, to try and avoid clashing with some of the huge-money events overseas.

Australians Jason Scrivener, Lucas Herbert and New Zealand's Ryan Fox are the early favourites to lift the 2019 Vic Open trophy in a field which also includes England's Andrew Johnston and Japan's Ryo Ishikawa.

Ogilvy also still believes he can contend every week, despite reducing his playing schedule.

"I've still got an itch to scratch," said the Victorian, who last played his state Open way back in 1998 when he was leading amateur for the third time.

"I know there's better golf in there.

"Whether it translates into better scores and winning tournaments, it's not really about that. I just want it to feel great."

In a celebrity-laden PGA Tour event boasting surfing great Kelly Slater and NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers, internet sensation Ho-sung Choi is set to steal the show at the Pebble Beach Pro Am.

The South Korean professional golfer, who owns a wildly unorthodox swing, delivered a hilarious press conference on Tuesday before his PGA Tour debut at the famed California tournament.

He jogged in to the media centre, bowed to reporters and even stood up from his dais to re-enact how bizarre his swing initially was when he started playing golf in his late 20s.

The 45-year-old became a global social media celebrity in June last year when footage went viral of Choi's colourful on-course antics at the Korean Open - including twists, turns and bows when reacting to his golf shots.

The Pebble Beach Pro Am is one of the highest-profile tournaments on the PGA Tour due to its strong field and number of high-profile actors, sports stars and musicians playing on the amateur side of the draw.

But Choi says he won't tone down his behaviour or swing at Pebble Beach, where is playing on as a sponsor's invitation.

"Personally, I love my swing," he said through an interpreter.

"I didn't start golf until I was in my late 20s, so I didn't take any lessons growing up.

"I might not have as much (flexibility) compared to the other tour players but I do what I can with what I have."

Choi, who has won twice on the highly-regarded Japan Tour including the Casio World Open late last year, had never been to the US before arriving in California this week.

He played Pebble Beach on Tuesday and will play one of the other two courses used for the tournament - Spyglass Hill or Monterey Peninsula Shore Course - on Wednesday.

"I have the honour to play all three courses here and, just because of such beautiful scenery, I couldn't even focus on where my ball was going," Choi said of Pebble Beach Golf Links, which is set on the famed Monterey Peninsula.

"Just looking at the ocean and looking at all the scenery out here has been amazing and that's been my favourite part."

Young Australian pro golfer Ryan Ruffels has hit back at criticism of his mounting tally of sponsor invitation entries to US PGA Tour tournaments.

Ruffels, 20, will tee up in his 19th PGA Tour event at this week's Pebble Beach Pro Am on California's Monterey Peninsula.

Starting with his PGA Tour debut as a 17-year-old in 2015, all of Ruffels' starts have come through sponsor exemptions.

The talented Victorian has made the cut in a respectable 10 of those tournaments but, with a lone top-25 result, has not been able to use them to secure a PGA Tour card or advance to the secondary Web.com tour.

Non-members are allowed to use a maximum of seven sponsor invitations per PGA Tour season.

However, PGA Tour players can resent young golfers receiving a large number of such entries as they see it as taking a spot away from veterans or players on the fringes.

On Tuesday, several PGA Tour pundits pointed out Ruffels' 19 invitations and it prompted social media users to accuse him of benefiting from favouritism.

Ruffels is managed by the same sports agent as countryman and former world No.1 Jason Day.

He says the invitations are a reward for signing with a high-powered management company.

"What, am I not going to take them? It's an opportunity," said Ruffels, who plays on the PGA Tour's third-tier South American circuit.

"I was lucky to sign with a very good agent who has helped me out a lot. I don't think that's my fault.

"I know I haven't quite earned my way out here yet and I'm not trying to defend that.

"But I was invited to Pebble Beach and I thought it was better than sitting at home, so let's go have a crack."

World No.1431 Ruffels, the son of former tennis professionals Ray and AnnaMaria Ruffels, won the 2014 world junior championships in the US and, as an amateur, recorded two top-30 results in the Australian Open.

"I played good as an amateur which set me up to have some good opportunities as a professional. I don't feel guilty for taking starts," Ruffels said.

"Someone in my position would take them, too. I've played well in a lot of my starts, although not so much last year because I was struggling with my game."

Former world No.1 Day said the issue would quickly be forgotten should Ruffels find success on the PGA Tour.

"There's nothing wrong with it; if you can get 40 invitations, you should take them," Day said.

"If he turns out to be a great player, no one is going to remember the (19) sponsor invitations.

"However, he has to perform; he has to learn and grow because (the PGA Tour) is a chance for him to change his life."

Jason Day is on a mission at this week's Pebble Beach Pro Am after a series of close calls at the US PGA Tour's iconic California tournament.

Day's five top-six finishes in nine appearances have been the closest anyone has come to ending Australia's title drought at the celebrity-studded event on the Monterey Peninsula.

That drought stretches back to 1993 when Brett Ogle became the second Australian to win it after Bruce Crampton (1965).

Former world No.1 Day's recent results at the Pebble Beach event include joint runner-up to Ted Potter Jr last year, sharing fifth behind Jordan Spieth in 2017 when Day held the 36-hole lead, and a tie for fourth in 2015.

But coming off a top-five result at Torrey Pines, Day is confident of settling a score with an event that has taunted him more than any other in the US.

"I've had some very good finishes here and I feel like I am going to win this tournament one year," Day told AAP on Tuesday.

The Pebble Beach Pro Am has 156 professionals playing a PGA Tour tournament concurrently to a teams event with 156 amateur partners.

Each group has two professionals and two amateurs and the event is played across three courses - US Open rotational venue Pebble Beach Golf Links, as well as Spyglass Hill and Monterey Peninsula Country Club.

The tournament is one of the more hyped events on the PGA Tour for its celebrity participation in the amateur draw.

This year's field includes surfing great Kelly Slater, retired NFL quarterback Tony Romo and comedian Ray Romano.

But Day says the event's profile, and long rounds due to amateur participation, have not contributed to his inability to win it.

"I've had a lot of top fives and top-10s and played really well here, but I don't know what has stopped me from winning," Day said.

"All three courses suit my eye, but I guess I just have to be patient and let things unfold.

"Sometimes you just get beat on the day, even though you played well. Ted Potter played better than everyone last year."

Day is joined this week by a large Australian contingent including fellow former world No.1 Adam Scott, as well as Aaron Baddeley, Rod Pampling John Senden, Matt Jones, Curtis Luck, Ryan Ruffels and Cameron Davis.

Big names in the field including 2017 champion Spieth, two-time Pebble Beach winner Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson.

Minjee Lee will start her 2019 campaign this week as Australia's highest-ranked golfer, the reigning Greg Norman medallist and the favourite to win a third Vic Open title in six years.

It's quite the list of achievements for a 22-year-old.

But Lee is already focused on what she needs to do to improve her current world ranking of six as she chases a first major title in 2019.

The slightly-framed Lee will likely never be a massive bomber off the tee in the manner of the world's top two ranked players, Thailand's Ariya Jutanugarn and South Korean Sung Hyun Park.

Jutanugarn does not even bother packing a driver in her bag, figuring she hits her three-wood far enough to get he job done.

"Length is probably one of the bigger factors I've been trying to work on in the off season and I'll probably be working on that throughout the whole year," Lee said on Tuesday.

"... (Jutanugarn) can out-drive me with three-woods - that's like a rocket. I think it's the same for everyone.

"For me I think it's more about technical things and obviously hitting it pretty hard in the gym. It's a mixture of both."

Lee won the Vic Open as a teenaged amateur back in 2014 and saluted again last year at 13th Beach as a professional, after which she said she wanted to crack the top 10 in the world.

She duly ticked off that box in 2018 and is now aiming even higher.

"I try not to put a number on the rankings," said Lee.

"I know I did last time, but I think the closer you obviously get to the world No.1 spot, you can play more with your process goals.

"If you hit them you'll eventually get closer to that world No.1 spot so I'm going to go more with my process."

The field for the women's Vic Open has gone to a whole new level this year after the tournament was added to the LPGA Tour schedule for the first time.

World No.7 Lee is the highest-ranked player in a field which also includes Australian all-time great Karrie Webb, reigning British Open champ Georgia Hall, American Paula Creamer, a 10-time LPGA Tour winner, and Swede Pernilla Lindberg, who won her first major at the ANA Inspiration in 2018.

Australian youngster Min Woo Lee is off to a flying start in his professional golf career after a dazzling weekend performance gave him fourth place in the European Tour's Saudi International.

In just his second professional start, 20-year-old Lee came away with 152,479 euros ($A241,000) in prize money after he produced a second consecutive seven-under par 63 to finish at 15 under against a strong field.

He was four shots behind world No.3 Dustin Johnson, who carded a 67 to win by two strokes from China's Li Haotong (69) with Englishman Tom Lewis (65) a further shot away.

Lee missed the cut at his first pro start in Abu Dhabi but now sits 28th on the European Tour's Race to Dubai rankings.

The long-hitting Lee topped the tournament driving distance stat at the Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City with an average 334.5 yards and was fourth for putts per round (27.5).

"I didn't know what to expect today," Lee said.

"I just knew that I had to keep my head in the game, really, and hit every shot really fully committed. I'm happy that I did.

"I know those guys are superstars. I just said, play my own game and I'm glad I posted a good score.

"I'm just happy with my second start as a pro.''

Lee's veteran countryman Scott Hend (67) was four shots behind him at 11 under in a tie for sixth place, along with American Bryson Dechambeau (65), who won in Dubai last week.

Lee's next start is in Panama on the PGA Tour's secondary web.com Tour this week.

Johnson recorded five birdies in his final round, including the last two holes as he finished on 19-under-par.

Li had gone into the final 18 holes on a high after firing four eagles, including a record-breaking three eagle-twos, in his third-round 62.

But he fell away early on his back nine on Sunday, with three bogeys hampering his hopes of an impressive win.

Rickie Fowler has held it together in a rollercoaster final round at the Phoenix Open to claim his fifth PGA Tour title.

The American squandered a five-shot lead on the back nine when he dropped four shots in two holes at a wet TPC Scottsdale.

After a double bogey on the fifth, Fowler's tribulations mounted when he chipped his third shot into the water on the par-4 11th.

He took a penalty drop and walked away to survey his next shot and could only watch on as his ball roll back into the hazard.

After a discussion with PGA Tour rules official Slugger White, he took another penalty drop and did remarkably well to chip to 15 feet and hole the putt for a bizarre triple-bogey seven.

It was no surprise that the 30-year-old bogeyed the next and found himself a shot behind Branden Grace, who had chipped in for eagle at the par-4 12th and birdied the 13th.

But Fowler drew level with a birdie on the 15th before Grace imploded by driving into the water on the driveable par-four 17th and making a bogey.

Fowler drove the green on the same hole and two-putted from 55 feet for a decisive birdie.

A par on the last gave Fowler a closing three-over 74 and a two-shot victory over Grace, with Justin Thomas a shot further back after a round of 72.

Starting the day in the top 10, Australian Cameron Smith carded a closing 72 to slide back seven spots to a tie for 15th at nine under.

"It was a bit of a rollercoaster but other than two holes I felt like it was a decent round of golf considering the conditions," Fowler told Sky Sports.

"I did a decent job of getting past the two holes which cost us five shots today.

"A bad break with the ball rolling back into the water but we moved on and that's what's nice about having a cushion after 54 holes, it allows you to make mistakes."

Fowler managed to close out his second win from seven attempts when leading after three rounds.

"At the end of the day winning is amazing but there are a lot bigger things in life," he said.

Former Masters champion Sergio Garcia looks set to escape further punishment following his shock disqualification from the inaugural Saudi International.

Garcia was disqualified for "serious misconduct" under rule 1.2a after admitting to damaging greens on the front nine of Royal Greens Golf & Country Club during Saturday's third round.

The Spaniard apologised for his actions in a statement which read: "I respect the decision of my disqualification. In frustration, I damaged a couple of greens, for which I apologise, and I have informed my fellow players it will never happen again."

England's Robert Rock, who was in a group playing behind Garcia, appeared willing to forgive and forget, telling the press: "I have spoken to Sergio about it. He faced up to it and we are fine. Everyone makes a mistake at some point.

"It was scuff marks and also a mark that appeared to have been made by what looked to have been a putter. Scuff marks really show up on these grainy greens.

"Even if you drag the sole of your shoe without meaning to, it pulls up the grass. The greens are good with no bald patches and scuff marks certainly show up."

It's far from Garcia's first brush with authority and led to calls on social media for the 39-year-old to face a hefty fine or suspension.

"The incident is over. We have dealt with it. Sergio has apologised to the players and we move on," said European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley.

Rickie Fowler had the lead heading into the final round last year at the PGA Tour's Phoenix Open, only to see the title slip through his grip for a second time.

This week the crowd favourite has fed off the energy of a vociferous gallery and extended his lead to four strokes after a seven-under par 64 on Saturday at TPC Scottsdale.

It's now time to finish it off.

"I wouldn't say anything's amazing but everything's been pretty good this week," Fowler said of his game after posting a 20-under 193 total.

Matt Kuchar, a recent winner in Hawaii, carded 65 to jump into second place on 16-under, while Justin Thomas (68) was another shot back.

Branden Grace and Byeong Hun An were seven back of Fowler at 13-under in a tie for fourth.

Australian Cameron Smith had a see-saw day but remains in the top 10 in a share of eighth at 10-under par.

His 71 included a double-bogey on the par-5 15th, three front-nine bogeys and three-straight birdies to close out his round.

Fowler's lead matched the largest of his PGA Tour career but he will not be planning a victory speech just yet.

He is one of six when holding at least a share of the lead going into the final round.

The world No.14 has won only four times on the PGA Tour and 13 runner-up finishes has raised questions about his ability to close out the victory.

"I've led for three rounds now, why not four?" he said.

Kuchar put himself in position for his third victory of the wraparound PGA season after wins at the Mayakoba Classic in November and last month's Sony Open in Hawaii.

Thomas, who is sharing a house with good friend Fowler this week, started slowly in round three before he collected four back nine birdies.

Australian rookie Min Woo Lee is poised to give his fledgling pro career a big boost after a blistering third round at the European Tour's Saudi International.

The 20-year-old shot a flawless seven-under 66 to be tied for sixth at eight under, in a group including veteran countrymen Scott Hend (69), going into the final round at the Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City.

Lee is making only his second pro start, having missed the cut at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on debut.

However, he would need something extraordinary to happen to contend for the title as he's eight shots behind the joint leaders, world No.3 Dustin Johnson and China's Li Haotong, who have a five-shot lead from England's Tom Lewis.

Li struck an astonishing four eagles to register an eight-under-par 62 and catch Johnson (65).

Li, who started the day in joint second place with South Africa's Zander Lombard, got off to a wonderful start, chipping in an eagle from the rough on the very first hole.

The 23-year-old, who said he had a lot of luck, birdied the par-five fourth but got in trouble soon after with a double bogey on the sixth hole before steadying the ship by sinking an 18-footer for another birdie on the seventh to turn in 33.

Li made another eagle immediately after the turn followed by a series of pars before closing his round with back-to-back eagles on the par-four 17th and par-five 18th to draw level with Johnson.

"Very lucky today," Li said.

"Those eagles, especially the last couple of shots, were really solid but except (for) that, honestly, my play, wasn't that good.

"If (the approach into the first) didn't go in the hole, it could have been off the green. It's a very lucky eagle over there. At the 10th, that's what I wanted to play, but I felt like I pushed it a little bit.

"I got a lucky bounce, kicked it left and it went in the hole, which is very lucky, too."

Former US Masters champion Sergio Garcia was disqualified earlier in the day for intentionally damaging the greens.