Bart Bryant, a three-time PGA Tour winner who bested Tiger Woods down the stretch to win two of them, died in a car accident on Tuesday, according to the PGA Tour.
Information was sketchy but the accident occurred in Florida as Bryant and his wife Donna were driving from Atlanta to their home in Winter Garden.
Bryant, who along with his brother Brad were two of 12 brother combinations to win on the Tour, won all three of his titles after the age of 40, laboring on mini-tours for nearly two years and overcoming injuries and multiple trips through the Tour’s national qualifying process.
His first Tour victory was in the 2004 Texas Open at the age of 41, where he shot a third-round 60 at the La Canterra Country Club in San Antonio on his way to winning in his 187th PGA Tour start.
He won twice in 2005, and both were huge: he captured The Memorial (being played this week in Dublin, Ohio) by one shot over Fred Couples and four over Tiger Woods, then won the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake by six over Woods, with a course-record 62 in the first round.
It was the largest margin Woods has ever lost by when finishing second. Woods returned the favor three years later when he made a 25-foot birdie putt on the final hole of the Arnold Palmer Invitational to beat Bryant by one shot.
Bryant and his brother were born in Texas but grew up in New Mexico, where they were junior golf and mini-tour legends. Brad Bryant was a two-time All-American at New Mexico State but then struggled, having to go to the Tour’s qualifying tournament six times and battling shoulder and elbow injuries.
He won twice on the PGA Tour Champions, the last in 2018 at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open. Bryant posted five top-25 PGA Tour Champions finishes in 2019 and had one top-20 among four 2020 starts. He has not played a full schedule since.
Bryant is survived by his brother, his wife, daughters Kristen and Michelle and his stepchildren.
“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 in a statement. “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.”
