The Longshot: Another Kim win could be on cards as regular season ends

WE’VE reached the final tournament of the USPGA season before the FedEx playoffs begin and curiously there is still no firm plan yet as to what the PGA Tour schedule next year will look like.

This is because of the recent agreement between the Tour and Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. It seems unbelievable, but there has been no announcement of what will exactly happen and if LIV separatists be allowed to play in certain tournaments, or if the split in the world of golf will continue into the second half of the decade.

The regular season concludes this weekend with the Wyndham Championship, and there is much more on the line than just the $7.6 million purse, now that only the top 70 (down from 125) in the standings qualify for the first playoff event, the FedEx St. Jude Championship, which has a $20 million purse the week after.

Then the top 50 make it to the BMW and another $20 million purse. The top 30 there qualify for the season-ending Tour Championship, where an extraordinary $75 million FedEx Cup bonus pool will be distributed.

Justin Thomas is the highest profile man in the field outside the top 70, playing this week after missing the cut at the 3M Open (as did our tip Sepp Straka, I’m sorry to say).

Offaly man Shane Lowry (33/1), Adam Scott and Gary Woodland are major champions also in the field and needing to play their way into the top 70.

Defending champion Tom Kim is already in the playoffs and taking the week off after an ankle injury he picked up at the Open in Liverpool, as are many other top players who don’t have to worry about their post-season hopes. (Kim, who for some reason I know is named after Thomas the Tank Engine, won in sensational fashion 12 months ago, overcoming a quadruple bogey on his opening hole in the first round. At the age of 20 he finished with a 61, reaching the turn in a scarcely credible 27 strokes to secure his maiden title.)

Sam Burns, Hideki Matsuyama, Billy Horschel, Matt Kuchar, Harris English, Joel Dahmen, Zach Johnson and Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald are some of the other big names teeing it up. Burns (22/1) is the only top-20 player in the field, and is probably playing primarily to build his case as the last man on the USA Ryder Cup team, something Justin Thomas (33/1) must be seriously concerned about missing out on despite being a Major winner last year. He is a 15-time tour winner but is enduring a miserable run of form this year.

Webb Simpson (66/1) stands out as the best performer at the Sedgefield Country Club course as he’s finished inside the top 10 in 10 out of 13 career appearances, including a current stretch of five consecutive finishes of T7 or better prior to his withdrawal last season.

2016 winner Si Woo Kim (33/1) is 18th in the current FedExCup point standings and 37th in the world rankings, He will make his sixth-consecutive Wyndham Championship start and his eighth overall with his best result coming in 2016 when he earned his first PGA Tour victory.

He finished tied for second in 2021 after competing in a six-way playoff won by Kevin Kisner.

The Championship returns with all its fairytale promise

WHILE our football Championship ended last weekend, the one across the channel gets underway this Friday.

With the likes of Leeds United, Leicester City and Southampton dropping into the Championship this season, the most competitive league is likely to get even more difficult to emerge from All three have lost important players from last season as they continue to rebuild ahead of the big kick-off next week.

All three are under new management, with Daniel Farke, Enzo Maresca and Russell Martin.

If the Championship taught us one thing last season, it likes a fairytale, with Luton promoted to the Premier League for the first time after a thrilling play-off final against the Sky Blues.

Ipswich Town are fancied to make a splash with low odds (11/4) to reach the play-offs on their return to the second tier, while Sheffield Wednesday offer an unknown under new head coach Xisco Munoz and are 8/1 to make the top six.

Plymouth Argyle (5/2 to go down) are expected to have a tough season, with Rotherham United (who Cork man Chiedozie Ogbene left to join Luton in the Premier League) the bookies favourites to go down at 15/8 despite just surviving last season.

Leicester are the favourites to make an immediate return to the Premier League as Championship winners (4/1). James Maddison has made a big-money move to Spurs but record goalscorer Jamie Vardy (10/1 Golden Boot favourite) is expected to stay at the King Power having rejected a move to Saudi Arabia.

It can be tough to recover from a play-off loss, and Sunderland (4/1 to make the playoffs again) will wonder what could have been had they got past Luton Town in the semi-finals, but Sheffield United proved a play-off loss doesn’t have to have a detrimental effect on your hopes for the season. Amad Diallo will be a loss, but Sunderland have kept other key parts of their squad together and added some exciting talent from abroad, as well as young Jobe Bellingham (teen brother of Jude — and someone who qualifies to play for Ireland!) from Birmingham City.

McCarthy can be the top man

IT GIVES us no pleasure to state we tipped James McCarthy to be Player of the Year at 7/4, suggesting these were better odds than the even money on the Dubs to lift Sam.

The nine-time All-Ireland winner was probably lucky not see the line during the decider but his main challenger for the title, David Clifford, never got his radar working in a misfiring display that saw him outshone by his brother Paudie. The Sunday Game panel chose McCarthy, and while it is no guarantee he will get the award at the All-Stars in October, it would seem strange if the men in Blue’s best player alongside Cluxton and Kilkenny (who also has never won the top gong) over their 12 years of unmatched success was overlooked again before he likely retires from the game.

WILL any of the trio of nine-time winners try and reach double figures and match the achievement of Henry Shefflin? Why not? The capital side have consistently shown they can edge tight finals over the years and other than Kerry it’s unlikely anyone else could stop them if the same panel were back for next year’s Championship.

Jack O’Connor has maintained his record of winning a title in his first year with the Kingdom three times, before letting it slip while attempting to retain it. In 2006 he did manage to regain it and will presumably be retained as Kerry boss next season.

Dublin are 9/4 to lift Sam again next year, while Kerry are 15/8.

Kane to go? 

WILL Harry Kane finally leave London in the most reported departure that has never happened in the past five summers.

Bayern Munich officials are believed to be preparing for a London summit with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy this week and Kane is 4/11 to join the Bundesliga champions. The England captain is 5/2 to stay at Spurs, and he is the same price to join Paris Saint-Germain.

The Bet

IT’S going to be former winner Si Woo Kim at 33/1 for the Wyndham, though the each-way chances on a course specialist Webb Simpson at 66/1 looks seriously inviting.