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Todd tumbles down US Open leaderboard with 79

By WTOP Staff

JOEDY McCREARY
AP Sports Writer

PINEHURST, N.C. (AP) — The bogeys piled up in a hurry for Brendon Todd.

Just that quickly, his first U.S. Open turned from a dream to a complete nightmare.

The local favorite who began the day alone in second place plunged down the leaderboard in a hurry Saturday with a 9-over 79 that started badly and never got better.

“The scores weren’t really happening for me today,” Todd said.

After making only two bogeys in the first 36 holes, he had eight of them and a double bogey in the third round. Twice, he had four bogeys in a five-hole stretch.

He insisted he wasn’t nervous playing alongside leader Martin Kaymer and wasn’t trying to chip away at the six-stroke lead he brought into the round.

“I wasn’t trying to shoot 65,” Todd said. “I was going out there to try and shoot a solid round and see what happens. I was really still playing for pars. And they were just that difficult for me to get.”

There were plenty of bogeys for everyone at a dried-out Pinehurst No. 2 with many pins placed in tough-to-reach corners of the greens.

“There’s no chance to hit the ball close when the pins are tucked like that,” Todd said. “You never get that birdie to get your momentum going back the other way.”

Only seven players shot par or better — just two of them posted red numbers — while much of the movement on the leaderboard was headed one way.

“There’s nothing ‘Moving Day’ about Saturday at the U.S. Open,” Graeme McDowell said, “except moving backwards.”

Perhaps nobody fell harder or faster than Todd, a 28-year-old who was playing the first major of his career — and it came in front of the home folks.

Todd played high school golf about a 60-minute drive from Pinehurst in the Raleigh suburb of Cary.

He gave them plenty to cheer during his first two rounds by breaking par both days.

He followed his opening-round 69 with a 67 that left him alone in second place and earned him a spot in the final pairing alongside Kaymer.

It didn’t take long for things to go bad.

After hitting his 60-foot birdie putt on the second hole, he immediately started snapping his fingers in an apparent attempt to will it to stop.

It didn’t.

Instead, it rolled off the green, and he putted to 6 feet and made that for his first bogey since Thursday.

He three-putted on the third, missed a 6-foot par putt on the fourth and three-putted again on the sixth.

Then came the double bogey on the par-4 seventh. He pulled his tee shot into the weeds, hooked his second shot into more weeds well left of the green and grounded his third stroke into a bunker.

By then, he was sinking fast.

“It wasn’t the most nervous I’ve ever been,” Todd said. “I didn’t have that much pressure on myself. It’s not like I was holding the lead. I was just going out there trying to hit good shots and make good putts. I hit good shots early. I felt like I hit it really good through six holes, and the putts didn’t go in. Because of that then I feel like that sort of weighed down on my ball-striking a little bit, and it made it difficult to get back going the right way.”

At least Todd had some company in his struggles on a course that the oldest player in the field, 53-year-old Kenny Perry, described as “18 of the toughest pins I’ve ever seen.”

Rory McIlroy, the 2011 winner at Congressional, had five bogeys on the front nine of a 74 that dropped him to 3 over.

“It was a tough test, a real test of patience, a test of if you’re going to miss shots, miss it in the right place,” McIlroy said. “I missed it in the wrong place most of the time at the front nine.”

Adam Scott, the 2013 Masters champion and world’s top-ranked player, also was at 3 over after a 73 that included bogeys on three of the four par-3 holes. He had four bogeys in his final 10 holes.

“It was a grind, but I had it under par, and just couldn’t keep it there through the turn,” Scott said. “I think if I’d kept it there through the turn … the momentum is going for the rest of the round. But it went the other way. And it’s so hard to stop it.”

___

Follow Joedy McCreary on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joedyap

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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