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British Open field

By WTOP Staff

HOYLAKE, England (AP) — The 143 players who have qualified for the 143rd British Open golf championship, to be played July 17-20 at Royal Liverpool. Players listed in only the first category for which they qualified. Nine spots from four tournaments and two alternates still to be determined:

British Open champions 60 or under on July 20: Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Darren Clarke, Louis Oosthuizen, Stewart Cink, Padraig Harrington, Tiger Woods, Todd Hamilton, Ben Curtis, David Duval, Paul Lawrie, Mark O’Meara, Justin Leonard, John Daly, Nick Faldo, Mark Calcavecchia, Sandy Lyle.

British Open champions who have finished in the top 10 in the last five years: Tom Watson.

Top 10 and ties from the 2013 British Open: Henrik Stenson, Ian Poulter, Adam Scott, Lee Westwood, Zach Johnson, Hideki Matsuyama, Hunter Mahan, Francesco Molinari.

Top 50 players from the world ranking on May 26: Matt Kuchar, Bubba Watson, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, Jordan Spieth, Jim Furyk, Dustin Johnson, Jason Dufner, Luke Donald, Jimmy Walker, Graeme McDowell, Charl Schwartzel, Thomas Bjorn, Keegan Bradley, Victor Dubuisson, Patrick Reed, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Martin Kaymer, Jamie Donaldson, Brandt Snedeker, Graham DeLaet, Webb Simpson, Bill Haas, Jonas Blixt, Stephen Gallacher, Rickie Fowler, Ryan Moore, Gary Woodland, Harris English, Joost Luiten, Matt Jones, John Senden, Russell Henley, Chris Kirk, Matt Every, Ryan Palmer.

Top 30 in the 2013 Race to Dubai on the European Tour: Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Richard Sterne, Thongchai Jaidee, Matteo Manassero, Peter Uihlein, Brett Rumford, Branden Grace, David Howell, Mikko Ilonen, Gregory Bourdy, Tommy Fleetwood, Bernd Wiesberger, Chris Wood, Paul Casey.

Leading five European Tour members not already exempt from the top 20 in the Race to Dubai through the BMW International Open: Pablo Larrazabal, Shane Lowry, George Coetzee, Rafa Cabrera-Bello.

PGA champions (5 years): Y.E. Yang.

2013 Tour Championship field: Nick Watney, Billy Horschel, Roberto Castro, Kevin Streelman, Brendon de Jonge, Boo Weekley, D.A. Points.

Leading five PGA Tour members, not already exemption from the top 20 of the FedEx Cup standings after the Travelers Championship: Brendon Todd, Kevin Na.

Playing members of the 2013 Presidents Cup teams: Angel Cabrera, Marc Leishman.

Winner of the Asian Tour Order of Merit in 2013: Kiradech Aphibarnrat.

Winner of the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit in 2013: Dawie van der Walt.

2013 Japan Open winner: Masanori Kobayashi.

Leading two players from the 2013 Japan Golf Tour money list: Hyung-Sung Kim.

Leading two players, not already exempt, in a cumulative money list from 2014 Japan Golf Tour events through the Japan Tour Championship: Koumei Oda.

British Senior Open winner: Mark Wiebe.

British Amateur winner: a-Bradley Neil

European Amateur winner: a-Ashley Chesters.

International Final Qualifying (Australia): Bryden Macpherson, Rhein Gibson.

International Final Qualifying (Africa): Jin Jeong, Justin Walters.

International Final Qualifying (Thailand): Hiroshi Iwata, a-Cheng-Tsung Pan, Ashun Wu, Yoshinobu Tsukada.

International Final Qualifying (Japan): Dong-Kyu Jang, Juvic Pagunsan, Hyung-Tae Kim, Tomohiro Kondo.

International Final Qualifying (AT&T National): Shawn Stefani, Charley Hoffman, Ben Martin, Brendan Steele.

International Final Qualifying (Irish Open): Matthew Baldwin, Danny Willet, Edoardo Molinari.

International Final Qualifying (Greenbrier Classic): 4 players TBD.

International Final Qualifying (French Open): 3 players TBD.

International Final Qualifying (John Deere Classic): 1 player TBD.

International Final Qualifying (Scottish Open): 3 players TBD.

Local Final Qualifying: Matthew Southgate, Chris Rodgers, An Byeong-Hun, Marc Warren, Jamie McLeary, Paul McKechnie, a-Paul Dunne, Oliver Fisher, Rhys Enoch, John Singleton, Christopher Hanson, Oscar Floren.

Alternates from the world ranking: Kevin Stadler, J.B. Holmes, K.J. Choi, Erik Compton, Charles Howell III, Brooks Koepka, Chesson Hadley, Freddie Jacobson, Anirban Lahiri, Scott Stallings.

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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