Three-time PGA Tour winner Bart Bryant dies in car accident. Bart Bryant, a three-time PGA Tour winner died in a car accident Tuesday. He was 59.
An All-American at New Mexico State University, Bryant turned professional in 1986 and reached the PGA Tour in 1991. Most of his career was plagued by injuries, having to return to Q-School six times to keep his tour card.
However, at 41 years old and in his 187th career start, Bryant broke through at the 2004 Valero Texas Open in late September. The next year Bryant won the Memorial Tournament, making an up-and-down par out of a hazard on the 18th hole at Muirfield Village to beat Fred Couples by one shot.
Months later Bryant would win for the third time in 14 months, and in dominant fashion, capturing the season-ending Tour Championship by six shots over Tiger Woods. It was the largest second-place deficit of Woods’ career.
Bryant had two other top-10s in 2005, catapulting him inside the Official World Golf Ranking top 25. It is a campaign considered one of the best one-year wonders in tour history.
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Bart Bryant Car Accident
Bart Bryant, a three-time PGA Tour winner, died Tuesday in a car accident, according to the Tour. He was 59.
Bryant’s was a story of professional perseverance. He won his first PGA Tour event at 41, when he captured the 2004 Valero Texas Open in his 187th start. The following season, he won the Memorial Tournament and the Tour Championship.
Bart Bryant Car Accident Video Footage
Not only did Bryant capture a pair of the Tour’s top prizes, he beat its biggest names to do so. He edged Fred Couples by a shot and beat Tiger Woods by four, to earn the Memorial trophy from Jack Nicklaus. He then cruised to victory at East Lake in ’05, beating runner-up Woods by six.
Bart Bryant Car Accident Picture
Bryant, born in 1962 in Gatesville, Texas, went on to twice on the PGA Tour Champions, including in his first start in 2013. He was the circuit’s 1,000th winner.
The PGA TOUR family mourns the tragic loss of 3-time TOUR winner Bart Bryant.
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 1, 2022
A look back at the three wins Bart Bryant earned on TOUR.
🏆 2005 @MemorialGolf
🏆 2005 @PlayoffFinale
🏆 2007 @ValeroTXOpen pic.twitter.com/1gMxZPSwmT
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 1, 2023
He is survived by wife Donna, daughters Kristen and Michelle and his stepchildren. His brother, Brad, was also a Tour winner. Bart Bryant was preceded in death by his first wife, Cathy, who succumbed to brain cancer in 2017.
“The PGA Tour is saddened by the tragic passing of Bart Bryant and our hearts go out to his family and friends during this difficult time,” said PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan. “The Bryants have been a part of the PGA Tour family for over four decades and we are grateful for the impact and legacy he made on our organization and countless communities. Bart will be dearly missed.”