AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) – For just under an hour, Congressman Buddy Carter was on the phone talking with constituents and answering a few questions.

Throughout that time this is what came up, VA benefits and backlogs, fear of Medicare/Medicaid programs disbanding, and why this town hall was not in person.

“Are you tired of winning?” A question to open up Congressman Buddy Carter’s town hall.

Carter took the first few minutes to praise the president’s accomplishments and thank other Republicans for their support in the House of Representatives and Senate.

The Congressman brought in a special guest speaker Texas Representative Brandon Gill. Gill spoke in support of President Trump’s Deportations and echoed Congressman Carter’s Support for Executive Order 14168.

According to the moderator, there were about 10,000 people called in at the call’s highest count. During the question and answers, around 20 questions were called in.

While the Congressman could not get to every question, he ended the call by saying if your concerns were not addressed you can make an appointment through his office.

Some of the questions that were addressed include the backlog that the VA is experiencing in claims. Carter voiced his support for local veterans while also assuring them that the VA is being looked at.

The topic of social security and benefits for elderly Americans was questioned more than once but the Congressmen says there is no risk of those programs going away.

Questions involving DOGE and their role in our government were also raised. The Congressman explained that the Department of Government’s Efficiency is only an entity, they do not have any authority but instead suggest things to parts of the government that do have authority.

Last month, Republican leaders urged members of the House of Representatives not to hold town halls in their home districts.

However, the Congressman said “throughout the week I visited all communities, but we have found that his tele-town hall is the most efficient, which is what we have been talking about, an efficient way for us to communicate with our constituents. Yes, it can get out of control when you have an in-person town hall, and I have had some and we have had some problems, and the police have asked me not to do them again. So we will continue to communicate just as I have.”

He defended the question as to why his town hall was not in-person by pointing to past in-person town halls that had ended poorly. He does recognize that although there were thousands dialed in only as few were able to speak and to that he says he wanted to continue to hear from his constituents on how he can better represent them.

The Chatham County Democratic Committee released a statement regarding Congressman Carter’s Monday night town hall meeting.

“The Chatham County Democratic Committee would like to express its disappointment in Congressman Carter’s refusal to hold an in person town hall meeting. He chose to hold a tele-meeting open only to those who subscribe to his newsletter. It’s unfortunate that he chose to ignore the majority of the people he is supposed to be representing by meeting only with the chosen few. The citizens of this congressional district need leaders who will engage with their constituents, not hide from them,” wrote the Chatham Democratic Committee in a statement.

Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

In 1934, the Masters Tournament was brought to life by two individuals, Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts. Roberts was an investment banker while Jones was an amateur golfer who had just become a grand slam champion. Collaborating with Alister MacKenzie, they redesigned a plant nursery and turned it into what we now know as Augusta National. Since then, the Masters Tournament has had the tradition of inviting the most talented and promising amateur golfers to compete with the best for the major title.

Since then, many big-name players have actually debuted in the Masters Tournament as amateurs. The list includes Arnold Palmer (1954), Jack Nicklaus (1960), and Tiger Woods (1995). The tradition will continue this year as well as invitations have been sent out to amateurs who have been exceptional over the past year. Unfortunately, Luke Clanton hasn’t made that list yet. Clanton has been killing it in the amateur circuit for the past 54 weeks. He is the world no. 1 amateur golfer and 93rd on the OWGR table. And yet, a spot in the 2025 Masters Tournament has not been presented to him. Famed journalist Dan Rapaport shed some light on this issue on Instagram.

Rapaport shared a picture of Clanton with his tweet, “As of now the world’s No. 1 amateur Luke Clanton (and world No. 93) has not been invited to the Masters Tournament. There are 5 ams in the field—including the U.S. Am champ, runner-up and NCAA champ. 2 exempt amateurs turned pro and lost their spot. Clanton won the McCormack Medal but that doesn’t get him in,” edited onto it. The caption of the Instagram post read “I’m a bit surprised by this. Augusta National can use a special exemption on whomever they please, and Clanton’s been such a great story in the game this year. With two exempt amateurs already out and Augusta’s rich history with the amateur game, feels like this would’ve been a great use of an invite. Still time?”  Clanton has already impressed the fans during his short stint on the PGA Tour. He has made 10 out of 13 cuts since 2024 and has had 2 runner-up finishes already. He was close to winning the John Deere Classic and the RSM Classic last year. And yet, the 21-year-old has not received his PGA Tour card yet. Reports state that he can become a full-time member of the PGA Tour only after the NCAA Championship in May. The Masters, hence, is a golden opportunity for this new golden boy.

With around 15 days left for tee-off, the Masters Tournament officials do have some time before they release the final field. Hopefully, they will send an invitation to Luke Clanton in the coming days.

Fans also shared their opinions on the situation as they commented on Dan Rapaport’s Instagram, and some of them shared pretty good pointers.

Netizens demand Luke Clanton’s invitation to Augusta National

Dan Rapaport may have just started a rally for Luke Clanton, and he has picked up a lot of support along the way. Elaborating on the amateur golfer’s recent record, one fan added, “He 100% should be invited. Body of work (collegiate wins / PGA Tour results) and #1 in WAGR for over 7 months should be enough to justify the invite.” Clanton does hold an incredible record. In his last 45 events, the 21-year-old has managed 21 top-10 finishes, which include 6 wins.

Another fan had a more sarcastic response as they couldn’t believe Clanton had not received an exemption yet. They commented, “Yeah, why would we wanna see one of the best stories of the year in the masters come on guys do the right thing”. We hope the PGA Tour is listening, as Luke Clanton has taken over the amateur circuit with 182+ points, average than anyone else on the leaderboard. He’s might be the Scottie Scheffler of the non-pro level.

A few fans believe that Luke Clanton will get a last-minute invite to play in the Green Jacket event. One of them said, “Plenty of time. He will be there,” suggesting that the Masters Tournament officials are waiting for the right time to send him an invite. Another also said, “He will get the last min invite”. There seems to be a common understanding that Clanton will receive a last-minute exemption to play at Augusta National next month. Interestingly, the last week to receive a Masters Tournament exemption has begun today, on March 25, 2025. Hence, Clanton might get his invitation by this weekend.

One of the fans also had another amateur golfer in mind as they recommended “Luke Clanton and Miles Russell….don’t mess this up Augusta”. While Luke Clanton’s achievements have already been explored, Miles Russell has recently come under the radar. The 15-year-old beat Charlie Woods and also got a huge compliment from Tiger Woods’s rival, Phil Mickelson. The veteran said, “It’s going to be fun watching this young lefty’s career!” comparing Russell to himself. That alone should warrant him a Masters Tournament invite.

Do you also think that Luke Clanton deserves to play alongside Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler in the 2025 Masters Tournament? Share your views in the comments section.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – One of the more impressive stories in sports is happening right down the road at Augusta University.

Marine Legentile plays golf for the Jaguars women’s team and she’s doing so with only one good eye.

They say to never take your eyes off the ball and for Augusta University’s Legentil, it’s never take one eye off.

“At first I hated it because I kept missing the ball and it was so frustrating,” said Legentil.

Born in France and blind in her left eye, Legentil has excelled in a sport that many struggle at even with perfect vision.

But her game still comes with challenges.

“I kind of struggle with depth perception which can be a little tricky sometimes or for example something that I always laugh at with my teammates or my coach is like if I’m even 20 yards from the green I’ll pull out my range finder because I literally cannot tell how far it is,” said Legentil.

Back in 2022, she won the South African Amateur Championship along with two other titles that year.

Letting her see clearly that collegiate golf was next for her.

She started her career in the U.S. at Columbus State before transferring to Augusta University after her freshman year.

“The experience has been great I mean augusta is the town for golf so I mean we’re pretty lucky that we have so many amazing courses around,” she said. “We’ve got amazing facilities great coaches great support systems so it’s been pretty good.”

While she may see the game differently from the rest of her team, she’s not treated any differently from them.

The junior Jag will make her next appearance in Friday’s More Than Golf Invitational in Aiken.

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