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Lydia Ko trying to pace herself on tour

By WTOP Staff

GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) — Lydia Ko is trying to pace herself in her first season on the LPGA Tour.

“I skipped last week and I skipped the tournament in Texas, as well,” the 17-year-old Ko said Thursday, a day before the start of play in the ShopRite LPGA Classic. “Obviously, I would like to play the whole schedule and get to every tournament, but it is definitely tough playing all 32 events.”

Ko won the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic in California in late April and has five top-seven finishes in 10 tour starts this year.

“I’ve been really enjoying myself, playing on the tour,” said Ko, born in South Korea and raised in New Zealand. “I think every moment has been really special. I can’t believe that already a third has gone by.”

The teenager won the Canadian Women’s Open as an amateur the last two years and took the Swinging Skirts World Ladies Masters in December in Taiwan in her second start as a professional. She has six victories in pro events, also winning in Australia and New Zealand, and is No. 3 in the world.

“I really don’t think about my ranking,” Ko said. “I just feel like I’m another golfer going out there to play some golf, and you know, to be at the top, and I guess when you’re ranked the best female golfer in the world, that’s something special. I mean, hopefully I can be the world’s No. 1 golfer. It doesn’t need to be now. That’s what I’m thinking. I just want to pace myself and really enjoy it, and I mean, I have just got to have fun and, to me, that’s the most important thing.”

Ko will play alongside top-ranked Inbee Park and Paula Creamer in the first two rounds on the Bay Course at Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Club.

Park missed the cut last week in Alabama, ending her streak at 22 events. She’s winless in nine tour starts this season after sweeping the first three majors last year and finishing the season with six victories.

“I didn’t have a good week last week, but you always get a time that you’re not playing so well,” Park said. “I was very confident after a two-week break. I was hitting the ball great. I was putting great. I was very confident coming into last week, and once the tournament started, I just don’t know what happened. I lost everything. I was hitting the ball bad. I was putting so bad last week.”

Ko and second-ranked Stacy Lewis, the 2012 tournament winner, both have a chance to take the top spot from Park this week. Lewis won the North Texas LPGA Shootout four weeks ago.

Michelle Wie, the winner in Hawaii, has seven top-10 finishes in 10 events this year. She’s coming off a third-place tie Sunday in Mobile.

“I’m just going out there and working hard,” Wie said. “I just want to get better and better every week. And it’s fun. It’s fun when you work hard and practice hard and you kind of see results. This year, it’s been a lot of fun and definitely motivating me to work even harder, just because it’s fun to play well.”

She’s grouped with Lizette Salas and Kraft Nabisco winner Lexi Thompson. Salas is making her first start since winning the Kingsmill Championship two weeks ago in Virginia for her first PGA Tour title.

“It’s back to work and I feel great,” Salas said. “I’m really glad I took that week off to recharge my batteries.”

Jessica Korda also is in the field after winning in Mobile for her second victory of the year.

“I’ve kind of settled into it now,” Korda said. “I think after my second win I was really, really excited and it definitely kind of showed me that the first one wasn’t a fluke. This one, I felt more like myself. I felt really comfortable out there and I just knew how to go through all the motions and emotions.”

She’s comfortable on the Bay Course, though she has had to adjust to the softer greens.

“It’s in really good condition,” Korda said. “The rough is definitely very high this year and it’s going to be very important to stay in the fairway. I think the greens are in really good shape. They’re a little spongy, so definitely a lot different from last week where they were a little bit firm. So, had to get used to chipping into the green being a little bit more aggressive, just seeing a little different line.”

Last year in the event, Hall of Famer Karrie Webb won her first LPGA Tour title in two years, rallying for a two-stroke victory over Shanshan Feng. Webb won the Women’s Australian Open and Founders Cup this year to push her LPGA Tour victory total to 41.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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