2022 Wyndham Championship leaderboard: Tom Kim and two others tied for 2nd round in regular season finale

The leaderboard has tightened heading into the weekend at the 2022 Wyndham Championship. With John Huh and Sungjae Im both unable to carry Thursday’s success into Friday, those leaving the early hours of the second round at Sedgefield Country Club find now their names at the top of the leaderboard.

PGA Tour rookie Brandon Wu is tied with Tom Kim and Ryan Moore at 9 under. The three couldn’t be more different, with Kim granted a special temporary waiver just two weeks ago, while Moore is just looking for form for the 2022-23 season, with the FedEx Cup Playoffs the furthest thing he has in his mind.

While a win for any of the three would make sense, it won’t be easy as the hunters have lined up behind them with a fork and a knife. In total, 38 players are within five moves of the lead as the final stages of the second round are to be completed early on Saturday morning.

Defending champion Kevin Kisner entered the weekend with a seven-stroke lead in 2021, and while he won’t be in attendance this year, he provided a blueprint for the chasers. Trophies won’t be the only item on the line, as playoff chances and career aspirations will be made or broken in the coming days.

The leaders

T1. Brandon Wu, Tom Kim and Ryan Moore (-9)

Wu and Kim have been in the spotlight at various points this year, but for Moore this performance marks a major comeback. Playing on a major medical stretch for most of the season, Moore has failed to maintain full-time status with about 75 FedEx Cup points after his last start at the Memorial Tournament. Eligible for conditional status, Moore would move from 183rd to 68th if he could convert a share of the 36-hole lead into his sixth PGA Tour victory and first since 2016.

“I’m just not even in the frame — yeah, I’m so far out of it, it doesn’t even matter at this point,” Moore said of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. “I’m trying to do the best I can this week. I’m just trying to gain some confidence for next season, to be honest. Like I said, I’ve been dealing with this injury for a while and I know it’s wrong now, I just need time to deal with. So right now it’s just trying to find some form, some confidence so I can find something that will make me this fall.”

Other contenders

T4. Sungjae Im, Russell Henley and John Huh (-8)

T7. Anirban Lahiri, Davies Riley and Brian Steward (-7)

T10. Andrew Putnam, Satoshi Kodaira, Martin Trainer, Blake McShea and Brett Drewitt (-6)

I’m one of three players to top the odds table to start the week and for good reason. The South Korean had a tumultuous summer as he was unable to play in the PGA Championship due to COVID-19 and then showed signs of life at the Charles Schwab Challenge and Memorial Tournament.

He then hit another hiccups with missed cuts at the US Open and Scottish Open before experiencing a forgettable Open. However, despite all this adversity, Im appears at home at Sedgefield Country Club in the first two rounds, even with a couple of matches on Friday. Coming in second in his last start at the 3M Open, the 24-year-old has certainly rediscovered his footing and remains the betting favorite through 36 holes.

Appreciation post Tom Kim

Kyle Porter touched Kim’s Four-way start in the 1st round, and on Friday the South Korean was able to avoid the early mistake and move up the leaderboard. Signing for a 6-under 64, the 20-year-old quickly found himself in the spotlight as he has only one avenue through which to qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs — a win.

Given provisional status by the PGA Tour ahead of the 3M Open, Kim has since secured his card for the 2022-23 season, but will need to pull a rabbit out of his hat to get to Memphis next week.

“Yeah, it’s been a crazy month,” Kim said. “Last month before the Scottish I was like, you know, I guess it was just the Korn Ferry finals for me and that was the plan. A month later I secured my PGA Tour card without even going to the Korn Ferry final. Yeah , it’s crazy, but I guess I’m just happy and grateful, that’s it.”

Things could get even crazier for Kim if she continues to perform like this. With the Presidents Cup looming next month, the world No.34 should be on the shortlist to be selected by International Team captain Trevor Immelman.

Bubble boys are heading into the weekend

We’ll keep you posted on the biggest players after each round as the FedEx Cup Playoffs quickly approach. While those fighting for a place inside the top 125 draw the most interest, it’s worth remembering what else is up for grabs. Players ranked 126th through 150th will receive some sort of conditional status and approximately 15 starts for next season. Those ranked 151st through 200th will join the 25 men ahead of them in the Korn Ferry Tour Playoffs, where at worst they will be relegated to the Korn Ferry Tour. Unfortunately for players outside the top 200, they will be headed to Q-School.

2022 Wyndham Championship updated odds and picks

• Sungjae Im: 10/39
• Tom Kim: 9/2
• Russell Henley: 11/2
• Brandon Wu: 11-1
• Ryan Moore: 12-1
• Davis Riley: 14-1
• John Huh: 16-1
• Anirban Lahiri: 22-1
• Aaron Wise: 30-1
• Billy Horsell: 35-1
• Tyrrell Hatton: 35-1
• Andrew Putnam: 35-1

The compressed leaderboard makes way for some opportunities down the odds table and Hatton would be my pick. True to his pre-tournament honors, the Englishman has struggled on the greens in the first two rounds and sits four lengths off the lead. He hits the ball beautifully and his resume should carry more weight than the market suggests. If Hatton isn’t your cup of tea, Keith Mitchell at 75-1 appears slightly off and should be in line for some positive bounce on the greens at the weekend.