By Joel Beall
Bart Bryant, a three-time PGA Tour winner died in a car accident on 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.

Bryant finished his tour career with 317 starts and made more than $9 million in earnings. He enjoyed a prosperous run on the PGA Tour Champions, winning twice and logging 29 top-10s in 142 appearances on the senior circuit. Bryant’s brother, Brad, was also a PGA Tour player, with a win in more than 560 starts on tour.

The PGA TOUR family mourns the tragic loss of 3-time TOUR winner Bart Bryant.

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 1, 2022

“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.”

Bryant’s first wife of 34 years, Cathy Cox, died of brain cancer in April 2017. Bryant is survived by his second wife Donna, daughters Kristen and Michelle and his stepchildren.

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The post Memorial champ and three-time PGA Tour winner Bart Bryant dies in car accident appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By John Strege
It has not been an easy five years, most notably the year that wife Cathy fought and eventually succumbed to cancer, but Bart Bryant is a tournament winner again.

Bryant, 55, holed a 25-foot birdie putt on the 18th green at En-Joie Golf Club in Endicott, N.Y., the difference in his one-stroke victory in the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open.

“For me, it kind of feels like I’m back a little bit,” Bryant said. “It’s been a long road in life and and a long road in golf, and the golf just hasn’t been very good. The last three or four months I’ve started to feel I had something, I just wasn’t making the putts. This week I finally made four or five putts over 20 feet or maybe longer. I think that’s what put me over the top. Hopefully it’s going to kick start into better things.”

Cathy Bryant was diagnosed with brain cancer on Mother’s Day, 2016. It claimed her life on April 5, 2017. The 2017 season was the least productive of his PGA Tour Champions career; he failed to post a top 10 in 15 starts.

This win came nearly five years to the day after his last PGA Tour Champions victory, also in this tournament, on this course.

“For some reason I just like it here,” he said. “You’ve got to hit it straight and I’m a short, straight hitter. It just fits my game well. It’s funny. It was a whole different deal the last time I was here, with 62 on Saturday and shot even [on Sunday] and squeaked it out. Today I played a real good solid last round. I really Didn’t hit a bad shot all day. Putted awfully well. Really a great way to finish.”

Bryant, who won three times on the PGA Tour, took a one-stroke lead over Michael Bradley into the final hole, then made the clinching putt with Bradley looking on. Bradley followed with his own birdie and finished second. He shot 65-67 on the weekend and finished at 16-under par 200.

“My hat’s off to Bart,” Bradley said. “He played awesome. Sixty-five, 65 [sic] on the weekend, that’s tough to beat. Second place, that’s my best finish on the Champions Tour so I have to take some solace in that.”

The post Bart Bryant wins Dick’s Sporting Goods Open, first victory since losing his wife to cancer appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.