VIRGINIA BEACH (WAVY) – A month ago, Marc Leishman rose to the top of the leaderboard at the Masters. Though he wasn’t able to cap off the weekend with a green jacket, he managed a respectable ninth place finish.
On Monday, he’ll join a number of star guests at the Bayville Golf Club for his third annual “Begin Again” Celebrity Classic.
Some of those names include NBA guard and former Old Dominion star Kent Bazemore, two-time major champion Ernie Els, longtime golf commentator and former British Open champion Ian Baker-Finch, as well as Bruce Smith and many more.
Marc and his wife Audrey founded “Begin Again,” a charity which teams up with a number of charities including Hospital of the King’s Daughters, and aims to aid families facing financial hardships because of medical expenses.
Audrey’s own experience three years ago is what inspired the foundation. While Marc was competing in teh 2015 Masters, Audrey was sent to the hospital and diagnosed with Toxic Shock Syndrome.
Doctors gave her a 5-percent chance to live.
Miraculously, she survived. Now, she’s hoping the darkest chapter in her life continues to spread awareness, and lift others up.
“I could have just gone into a hole, wallowed in what happened, and asked myself, ‘Why me? Why me?’ Instead, I thought, what can I do to make this a good thing,” said Audrey.
The foundation has raised more than $1 million since it was formed.