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.

OSN’s decision to jettison all but two cricket channels from its sports portfolio as of March 31 has had golfers across the UAE sweating on how to watch the first major of the year from Augusta National.

Sadly, Golf Digest Middle East’s enquires have not eased the increasing anguish; as of Sunday, no broadcaster or streaming service has secured rights for the 83rd edition of the Masters from Augusta National Golf Club.

PGA TOUR available via online streaming/European Tour negotiations on-going

The good news is that GOLFTV, Discovery’s  $2 billion swing at the international golf market in conjunction with the PGA Tour, was launched in the UAE on April 1. 

Brian Williams, Business Development Manager for the PGA Tour EMEA, confirmed the streaming service, launched globally in January, provides live and on-demand video and promises more than 2,000 hours of live action annually. Sadly this does not include the Masters, at this stage anyway.

Subscribers can also enjoy the PGA TOUR’s “Feature Groups” and “Feature Hole” coverage, as well as a wide range of premium content on-demand, including GOLFTV’s exclusive content partnership with 80-time PGA Tour winner and 14-time major champion Tiger Woods.

RELATED: Tiger Woods, GolfTV to launch series of head-to-head matches; first match set for Tokyo

Access is available on mobile and online via GOLF.TV and the GOLFTV app. UAE fans can find out more and enjoy a seven-day free trial by visiting GOLFTV. 

Patrick Reed is the defending champion heading into the 83rd Masters. Sadly, it seems UAE fans won’t be able to see his title defence on TV.

Meanwhile, European Tour Senior Press & Communications Officer Neil Ahern said that coverage of the Masters did not “fall within our remit as Augusta National negotiate all of their own broadcast deals.” However, there is better long term news.

“We are currently in discussions with several broadcasters in relation to finding a solution to this issue before European Tour action returns on Thursday, April 25 with the Trophée Hassan II in Morocco. We will update further in due course,“ Ahern said.

OSN CEO Patrick Tillieux told BroadcastPro that OSN was “redirecting our investments from sports to content that our customers enjoy the most.” The broadcaster has decided to refocus its service to more women-centric and “premium programming content”, he added.

“In the coming months, OSN will be delivering a new binge-watching channel, fresh monthly pop-up channels celebrating the biggest movie franchises, plus more curated lifestyle and women-centric shows,” he said.

Golf Digest Middle East will carry full and extensive coverage from Augusta National throughout the week.

The post Major disappointment for golf fans as Masters TV coverage unlikely in UAE appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.