Augusta, GA
Marine Legentil Overcomes Blindness In One Eye to Compete On the Golf Course – Augusta University
Augusta, Ga- When the Augusta women’s golf team hosts the Valspar Augusta Invitational this weekend, they’ll do so with a golfer who’s passion for the sport is above and beyond most others. Marine Legentil came to Augusta University wanting to play Division One golf. She spent two years at Columbus State and was familiar with the team and program. The timing was right and now she’s in the lineup on a regular basis with the Jaguars.
What separates Legentil from others, she was born blind in her left eye. In a sport that requires tremendous hand-eye coordination, Legentil has found a way to excel. But it didn’t happened without some battles.
“I’ve kind of struggled with depth perception, which can be a little tricky sometimes,” said Legentil with a laugh. “For example, something I always laugh at with my teammates and my coach is that if I’m 20 yards off the green, I’ll pull out my range finder because I literally can not tell how far it is.”
Since she hasn’t known anything else, it’s no big deal to her and has accepted it. Another struggle she has at times, is one every golfer has had, following where the ball goes.
“It can be a little scary because when I don’t know where it is, I’m not sure if I’m in trouble or not,” said Legentil.
You certainly can’t tell by watching her that she is blind in one eye, and very rarely will her competitors realize it when they are on the golf course. She doesn’t shy away from it, but she just goes about playing her game.
Legentil followed in her brother’s footsteps when she took up the sport.
“I was seven years old and I started because my brother played golf. He started thanks to my grandmother, and was obsessed with it and I decided I’m going to try too,” she said.
She readily admits she didn’t like the game early on since she would swing and miss the ball and was frustrated by it.
“As it turns out, I kept going to practice with him and I was never able to stop playing,” Legentil said.
Originally from France, Legentil also spent ten years in South Africa with her parents so she was able to pick up English quickly and was comfortable coming to the United States. She knows how big golf is in Augusta and said this was the right move.
Her game has struggled a bit this year and said part of that was playing places she wasn’t that familiar with. Now it is trending in the right direction.
“I think now in the spring, I’m starting to settle in a bit more and hopefully get some low scores by the end of the season,” Legetin said.
She is really looking forward to the Valspar Augusta Invitational.
“I’m really excited,” she said. “I love Forest Hills Golf Club. In my previous two years, I played the Peach Belt Conference tournament on this course so I’ve played it in tournaments before and I feel really good about it. Also the fact that we’ll have a lot of people supporting us and knowing that we’re home is going to feel really good.”
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An Augusta biomanufacturer will start making ammunition in the global fight against malaria.
Manus last week broke ground at its local plant on Lovers Lane on a production facility to produce artemisinin. The chemical is a key starting component in drug treatments to treat the deadly mosquito-borne illness. Malaria killed more than 600,000 people worldwide in 2024, according to the World Health Organization
“This groundbreaking reflects a shift from dependence to capability,” said Ajikumar Parayil, Manus’ founder and CEO. “For decades, the U.S. has relied heavily on overseas supply chains for the building blocks of essential medicines. What we’re establishing in Augusta is a new model – one that restores control, strengthens resilience, and proves that advanced biomanufacturing can be deployed at scale, here at home.”
About 80% of key ingredients for essential U.S. medicines are made or sourced overseas, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
That has led companies such as Manus to pursue biomanufacturing production models capable of making medical compounds domestically, efficiently and on a large scale.
Earlier in 2026, Manus won federal funding to expand production to make shikimic acid, a key compound in the antiviral medication oseltamivir, better known by its brand name Tamiflu.
On April 30, Manus announced a partnership with the University of Georgia to start a structured biomanufacturing apprenticeship program in Augusta. With a UGA “academic blueprint,” according to Manus, apprentices would receive extensive training on live production equipment to produce more experienced professionals for bio-industrial manufacturers nationwide.
Manus reopened Augusta’s old NutraSweet plant in 2019. In 2021, it introduced NutraSweet Natural, a zero-calorie stevia sweetener made using a smaller environmental footprint.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Brent McMillian is being appointed as the new director of athletics at Augusta University, President Russell Keen announced Monday.
McMillian will begin the role on June 8, 2026.
According to AU, McMillian brings 13 years of athletics experience to the position. He previously served as Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Engagement and Revenue Generation at Lipscomb University at Nashville.
“His vision aligns seamlessly with our goals for Jaguar Athletics: to champion student-athlete wellbeing, strengthen our competitive success, deepen community engagement, and build a vibrant, spirited campus culture,” Keen said. “His experience, combined with his personal connection to Augusta University, positions him to hit the ground running in a meaningful way.”
McMillian is a graduate of Greenbrier High School and attended Augusta University before completing his degree at the University of Tennessee.
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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJBF.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Local restaurants hosted brunches for Mother’s Day, allowing neighbors to celebrate the day with the special women in their lives.
The Brunch House of Augusta on Greene Street hosted a brunch. The restaurant served berry pancakes and French toast, waffles, ham and cheese breakfast sliders and more breakfast foods.
One of the owners said the holidays are a great time for them to make connections with the community.
“We just had a group here come here that’s been coming here every year Mother’s Day for three years, every year basically since we’ve been open, they come in every year for Mother’s Day. We have people from out of town come and travel and visit us, so it’s definitely building that connection,” said Ashley Brown, co-owner of The Brunch House of Augusta.
Brown said they will be offering some specials for the upcoming Juneteenth holiday next month.
The Frog and the Hen also hosted a Mother’s Day brunch. The restaurant had about 350 people come in as of around 3 p.m.
They served foods like fried chicken, cheddar biscuits, French toast casserole and more.
The general manager said she enjoys seeing families come in for holidays like Mother’s Day.
“I feel like these are all my children here, so I feel like this day just in general, like I get to be the mother here, and so this is like I’m mother hen, so I get to take care of all this. I love supporting all the people as well and just being able to get the best food possible, the best chicken everywhere,” said Sheridan Roberts, general manager of Frog and the Hen.
Roberts said they often have to stop making reservations a few weeks ahead of the holiday due to the amount they receive.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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