US PGA Tour rookie-in-waiting Brandt Snedeker says Australia's young golfers are better than their American counterparts.

The affable Nashville native - who'll be officially crowned US PGA Tour rookie of the year this month - is one of several hot young Americans lining up in this week's $1.4 million Australian PGA Championship at Coolum's Hyatt Regency Resort.

Fresh from snorkelling on the great Barrier Reef and pulling in some coral trout, Snedeker will be hoping to get amongst the birdies this week on a course that reminds him of Florida.

While Australia's brightest young player Jason Day has withdrawn with a wrist injury, the Australian PGA field still contains a number of the country's rising young guns, including Nick Flanagan, who has blazed his way onto the US PGA Tour next year, and big-hitting Won Joon Lee.

Australia could have as many as 23 players on the US Tour next year and Snedeker said the Americans loved hanging out with them.

"Some of my closest friends on the tour are Australians," said the 26-year-old American who believes in expanding his horizons by playing outside the US.

"I guess the M.O. for the Australians on tour is that they hang all hang out together and they like to have fun.

"I played with Adam Scott a couple of times this year, he's a super nice guy and one of the top players in the world.

"Most of the guys from Australia on the Tour make you laugh, it's always fun, they're always quick with the wit.

"They tell you how it is, it's good to have that in the States, we don't really have a lot of that.

"You have so many guys of a young age over here in Australia that are ... I won't say light years ahead ... but are obviously better than Americans guys of that age.

"There's a ton of guys over there that are really talented."

Snedeker isn't sure how he'll play this week but he's loving being in Australia.

"This is the start of my year right now," he said.

"I've come down here to find out where my game is at, playing against great fields in great weather.

"It hasn't felt great the past two days so I'll have to find something for Thursday."

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