Skip to main content

Golf Glance

By WTOP Staff

The Associated Press

All Times EDT

PGA TOUR

ST. JUDE CLASSIC

Site: Memphis, Tennessee.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: TPC Southwind (7,239 yards, par 70).

Purse: $5.8 million. Winner’s share: $1,044,000.

Television: Golf Channel (Thursday, 3-6 p.m., 9 p.m.-midnight; Friday, 12:30-3:30 a.m., 3-6 p.m., 9 p.m.-midnight; Saturday-Sunday, 1-2:30 p.m., 11:30 p.m.-2:30 a.m.) and CBS (Saturday-Sunday, 3-6 p.m.).

Last year: Harris English won his first tour title, beating Phil Mickelson and Scott Stallings by two strokes. English also won in Mexico in November at the start of this season.

Last week: Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama won the Memorial in Dublin, Ohio, for his first PGA Tour title. He beat Kevin Na with a par on the first hole of a playoff.

Notes: The U.S. Open is next week at Pinehurst in North Carolina. … Mickelson is making his fourth start in the tournament. Winless in 19 events since the British Open in July, he tied for 49th in the Memorial after a visit from FBI agents and lingering questions about an insider-trading investigation. … Europeans Graeme McDowell, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter Darren Clarke, Padraig Harrington and Paul Casey are in the field. … Al Geiberger shot the first 59 in PGA Tour history in his 1977 victory at Colonial Country Club. … John Cook had a tournament-record 26-under 258 total in 1996, shooting 64-62-63-69.

Online: http://www.pgatour.com

___

LPGA TOUR

MANULIFE FINANCIAL LPGA CLASSIC

Site: Waterloo, Ontario.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: Grey Silo Golf Course (6,330 yards, par 71).

Purse: $1.5 million. Winner’s share: $225,000.

Television: Golf Channel (Thursday, noon-2:30 p.m.; Friday, 12:30-2:30 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 3-5 p.m.).

Last year: Hee Young Park beat Angela Stanford with a birdie on the third playoff hole. They finished at 26-under 258 to match the tour record for lowest total score.

Last week: Stacy Lewis won the ShopRite LPGA Classic in New Jersey to take the top spot in the world ranking from Inbee Park, finishing with a six-stroke victory.

Notes: Lewis is in the field along with Park, 17-year-old Lydia Ko, Suzann Pettersen, Anna Nordqvist and Michelle Wie. … Brooke Henderson, the 16-year-old Canadian who is third in the world amateur ranking, received a sponsor exemption. … Brittany Lang won the inaugural event in 2012. … Manulife has extended its sponsorship deal through 2016. … The tour will return to Ontario in August for the Canadian Women’s Open at London Hunt. … The tour is off next week. Play will resume June 19-22 with the U.S. Women’s Open at Pinehurst.

Online: http://www.lpga.com

___

CHAMPIONS TOUR

BIG CEDAR LODGE LEGENDS OF GOLF

Site: Ridgedale, Missouri.

Schedule: Friday-Sunday.

Courses: Big Cedar Lodge Resort, Top of the Rock (1,470 yards, par 27) and Buffalo Ridge (7,002 yards, par 72).

Purse: $2.75 million. Winners’ shares: $230,000 per player.

Television: Golf Channel (Friday, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 4:30-6:30 a.m., 9-11 p.m.).

Last year: Jeff Sluman and Brad Faxon teamed to win in Savannah, Georgia, edging Fred Funk-Mike Goodes and Kenny Perry-Gene Sauers by a stroke in better-ball play.

Last week: Tom Pernice Jr. won the Principal Charity Classic in Iowa for his third senior title, beating Doug Garwood with a birdie on the second hole of a playoff.

Notes: The final round will be played at Jack Nicklaus-designed Top of the Rock, the first par-3 course to be used in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event. The Champions division will play 18 holes on the course Sunday, the first nine under foursomes and the second at four-ball. The Legends division for players 65 and older will play nine holes of four-ball. The opening 36 holes for both divisions will consist of a better-ball round on the regulation course and two nine-hole rounds (foursomes and fourball) on the par-3 course. … Nicklaus and Gary Player are teaming in the Legends Division. … Sluman is playing alongside Funk, with Faxon unable to play because of a prior commitment. … Bernhard Langer is paired with Tom Lehman. … Sam Snead and Gardner Dickinson won the inaugural event in 1978 in Austin, Texas, sparking interest that led to the creation of the senior tour.

Online: http://www.pgatour.com

___

U.S. GOLF ASSOCIATION/LADIES GOLF UNION

CURTIS CUP

Site: St. Louis.

Schedule: Friday-Sunday.

Course: St. Louis Country Club (6,245 yards, par 71).

Television: Saturday, midnight-2 a.m., 2:30-4:30 a.m., 5-7 p.m.; Sunday, 2:30-4:30 a.m., 5-7 p.m.; Monday, 2:30-4 a.m.).

Format: United States vs. Britain and Ireland in team match play. Friday and Saturday, three morning foursomes matches and three afternoon four-ball matches; Sunday, eight singles matches.

United States: Kyung Kim, 20, of Chandler, Arizona (Southern California); Alison Lee, 19, Valencia, California (UCLA); Erynne Lee, 21, Silverdale, Washington (UCLA); Ally McDonald, 21, Fulton, Mississippi (Mississippi State); Annie Park, 19, Levittown, New York (Southern California); Ashlan Ramsey, 18, Milledgeville, Georgia (Clemson); Mariah Stackhouse, 20, Riverdale, Georgia (Stanford); Emma Talley, 20, Princeton, Kentucky (Alabama). Captain: Ellen Port, St. Louis.

Britain and Ireland: Eilidh Briggs, 21, Scotland; Gabriella Cowley, 18, England; Annabel Dimmock, 17, England; Gemma Dryburgh, 20, Scotland (Tulane); Georgia Hall, 18, England; Bronte Law, 19, England (UCLA); Stephanie Meadow, 22, Northern Ireland (Alabama); Charlotte Thomas, 21, England (Washington). Captain: Tegwen Matthews, Wales.

Last matches: Britain-Ireland won the biennial competition for the first time since 1996, rallying for a 10½-9½ victory at Nairn in Scotland.

Notes: The United States leads the series 27-7-3. … Stackhouse is the first black U.S. Curtis Cup player. … Talley won the 2013 U.S. Women’s Amateur. … Charles Blair Macdonald-designed St. Louis Country Club. … The 2016 matches will be played at Dun Laoghaire in Ireland.

Online: http://www.usga.org

Ladies’ Golf Union site: http://www.lgu.org

___

EUROPEAN TOUR

LYONESS OPEN

Site: Atzenbrugg, Austria.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: Diamond Country Club (7,410 yards, par 72).

Purse: $1.36 million. Winner’s share: $226,710.

Television: Golf Channel (Thursday, 5-7 a.m., 9 a.m.-noon; Friday, 5-7 a.m., 9-10:30 a.m.; Saturday, 7-11 a.m.; Sunday, 6:30-11 a.m.).

Last year: Dutchman Joost Luiten closed with a 1-under 71 for a two-stroke victory.

Last week: Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee won the Nordea Masters in Sweden, beating Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher and France’s Victor Dubuisson with a birdie on the first hole of a playoff.

Notes: Miguel Angel Jimenez recently moved to Vienna. The Spaniard won the Spanish Open three weeks ago at 50 years, 133 days to break his own record as the oldest European Tour champion. … Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger won the 2012 tournament. … In 2006 at Fontana, Markus Brier won the tournament for the third time to become the first Austrian champion in European Tour history. The event was part of the second-tier Challenge Tour when Brier won in 2002 and 2004.

Online: http://www.europeantour.com

___

WEB.COM TOUR

CLEVELAND OPEN

Site: Westlake, Ohio.

Schedule: Thursday-Sunday.

Course: Lakewood Country Club (7,022 yards, par 71).

Purse: $600,000. Winner’s share: $108,000.

Television: Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, 6:30-9 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 7-9 p.m.).

Last year: Inaugural event.

Last event: Byron Smith won the Rex Hospital Open on May 25 in Raleigh, North Carolina, for his first tour title. He closed with a 5-under 66 for a four-stroke victory.

Notes: Carlos Ortiz is trying to earn an immediate promotion to the PGA Tour as a three-time winner this season. The 23-year-old Mexican player leads the money list with $365,469. He tied for 65th last week in the PGA Tour’s Memorial. … A.W. Tillinghast-designed Lakewood opened in 1921. … The tour is off next week. Play will resume June 19-22 with the Air Capital Classic in Wichita, Kansas.

Online: http://www.pgatour.com

___

OTHER TOURNAMENTS

MEN

JAPAN GOLF TOUR: PGA Championship Nissin Cupnoodles Cup, Thursday-Sunday, Golden Valley Golf Club, Hyogo, Japan. Online: http://www.jgto.org

ASIAN TOUR: Queen’s Cup, Thursday-Sunday, Santiburi Samui Country Club, Koh Samui, Thailand. Online: http://www.asiantour.com

PGA TOUR CANADA: Bayview Place Island Savings Open, Thursday-Sunday, Uplands Golf Club, Victoria, British Columbia. Online: http://www.pgatourcanada.com

SUNSHINE TOUR: Zambia Sugar Open, Thursday-Sunday, Lusaka Golf Club, Lusaka, Zambia. Online: http://www.pgatour.co.za

EUROPEAN SENIOR TOUR: ISPS Handa PGA Seniors Championship, Thursday-Sunday, The Stoke Golf and Spa, Colchester, England. Online: http://www.europeantour.com

EUROPEAN CHALLENGE TOUR: Fred Olsen Challenge, Thursday-Sunday, Tecina Golf, La Gomera, Canary Islands. Online: http://www.europeantour.com

NGA TOUR: Milton Martin Honda Classic, Thursday-Sunday, Chattahoochee Country Club, Gainesville, Georgia. Online: http://www.ngatour.com

WOMEN

SYMETRA TOUR: FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship, Friday-Sunday, Battle Creek Country Club, Battle Creek, Michigan. Online: http://www.symetratour.com

JAPAN LPGA TOUR: Yonex Ladies, Friday-Sunday, Yonex Country Club, Niigita, Japan. Online: http://www.lpga.or.jp

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
Read Next Story

Related News

Frustration grows in Venezuela as earthquake death toll reaches 1,430

Israel and Lebanon sign framework agreement with US in ‘first step’ toward peace, Rubio says

Trump-endorsed populist poised to become Colombia’s next president as rival challenges vote