Author: teddoncic

Jeeno Thitikul had 137 yards left on the 17th hole and almost no room for indecision. Chanettee Wannasaen had already fired a closing 63. Arpichaya Yubol was still within reach. The breeze had begun moving through Columbia Edgewater, and Thitikul’s advantage had been reduced to the width of one good swing. She pulled a wedge. The flag sat on the middle tier of the green, so Thitikul started the ball just right of the target, caught the slope and watched it feed toward the hole. Then she buried the birdie putt. One hole later, the Portland Classic belonged to her.…

Jeeno Thitikul mastered Columbia Edgewater’s fast greens when the Portland Classic demanded her best putting under maximum pressure. Two shots behind entering Sunday, she attacked immediately, pouring in six birdies across her first seven holes. The noise around the final group changed with every make, and so did the shape of the tournament. Then came the interruption. A bogey at No. 9 gave the field a breath and briefly stalled Thitikul’s charge. She answered one hole later with something far more decisive: a 25-foot eagle putt at the par-5 10th that restored her momentum in a single roll. She would…

Heat interior depth looks imposing until Bam Adebayo heads to the bench for his first breather. Giannis Antetokounmpo can slide to center. Bobby Portis can do the same. Erik Spoelstra can shrink the lineup, switch aggressively and blur positional lines. None of those options makes a true backup five unnecessary. Miami created that opening with the biggest move of its summer. On July 6, the Heat sent Kel’el Ware, Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kasparas Jakučionis to Milwaukee as part of the blockbuster package for Antetokounmpo and Portis. Ware’s departure mattered beyond the transaction headline. The seven-footer averaged 11.1…

A frantic sprint, a late plant, one hard dribble. Miami’s closeout discipline can break down that quickly, turning twenty seconds of good defense into a layup before Erik Spoelstra has time to bark from the sideline. Picture Tyrese Maxey catching on the wing after Miami forces the ball out of the paint. The nearest defender charges at him. Maxey shows the ball, attacks the defender’s high foot and suddenly Bam Adebayo must leave the rim. Giannis Antetokounmpo slides down to cover. The corner opens. One late closeout has forced three more rotations. Miami spent the summer assembling the kind of…

Columbia Edgewater tests driving position at the Portland Classic before a player ever thinks about attacking a flag. The fairways look generous enough from television. From ground level, framed by towering Pacific Northwest trees and old bunkering, they become something else entirely. Jeeno Thitikul learned that lesson again on the final Sunday in 2026. She began the round two shots behind co-leaders Sophia Schubert and Arpichaya Yubol, which meant patience alone would not win her the tournament. Birdies were coming, and somebody had to chase them. Thitikul opened with a birdie and then tore through Nos. 3 through 7 with…

Approach accuracy comes alive at the Portland Classic when one flushed iron can erase a mistake before the crowd has finished reacting. Jeeno Thitikul offered the perfect example on Sunday at Columbia Edgewater Country Club. She had just bogeyed the ninth, and her charge could have stalled there. Instead, Thitikul walked to the 512-yard par-5 10th needing an answer. Her drive finished in the left rough, hardly the textbook setup for an aggressive second shot. She attacked anyway. A beautifully struck approach found the green, and the eagle putt dropped. The momentum snapped back in an instant. That sequence captured…

The August heat settles over Sedgefield Country Club long before Sunday reaches its final holes. Sweat gathers under a cap. Bermuda grass sticks to shoes. A caddie tosses a few blades into the air, watches them flutter, then checks the yardage book again. Somewhere nearby, a leaderboard changes. At Sedgefield, that small movement can alter a season. FedExCup positions rise and fall with every birdie. A three-foot putt can decide whether another tournament waits next week. One impatient swing can erase the advantage of a 325-yard drive. Michael Brennan learned that lesson before the 2026 Wyndham Championship. He arrived in…

Michael Brennan had spent two straight Sundays watching promising weeks go sideways. At the 3M Open, a final-round 74 knocked him from contention. Seven days later, another Sunday stumble, this time a 73 at the Rocket Classic, left him tied for 15th. Then came Greensboro. Bogey avoidance mattered differently for Brennan because this was not merely another chance to win. He arrived at Sedgefield Country Club 105th in the FedExCup standings, well outside the top 70 who would advance to the Playoffs. By Sunday afternoon, every loose drive carried consequences beyond one hole. Brennan answered with a 64. He ripped…

Sedgefield Country Club does not demand that golfers abandon power. It demands that they understand when to use it. Under the North Carolina summer heat, the Wyndham Championship becomes a test of decisions. Players must determine when to attack, when to accept a safer target, and how to position the ball in places that create realistic scoring chances. The course rewards confidence, but it punishes careless aggression. Donald Ross’s design creates that balance. Strategic doglegs, demanding approach angles, and challenging green complexes force players to think beyond the tee shot. A long drive can provide an advantage, but only when…

Lineup versatility will define the Lakers in 2026-27, but JJ Redick will feel the weight of this season long before he settles on a closing five. For the first time since 2017-18, Los Angeles enters a season without LeBron James on its roster. His move to Philadelphia ended an eight-year Lakers run that delivered the 2020 championship and reshaped the franchise around one of basketball’s defining stars. Now the keys belong completely to Luka Dončić. That transfer of power changes everything. Redick no longer has to balance two generational offensive forces. Instead, he must build the cleanest possible ecosystem around…