Golfer Bart Bryant, who won three times on the PGA Tour, including by six strokes over Tiger Woods at the 2005 Tour Championship, died in a car accident in Florida on Tuesday. He was 59.
Per WFLA in Tampa, a Ford F-150 pickup truck that was driving approximately 60 mph and failed to stop slammed into the back of Bryant’s Volkswagen SUV as traffic was halted for a construction crew on State Road 33, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Bryant, who was unresponsive when first responders arrived, was given CPR and died at the hospital. His 49-year-old wife, Donna, was treated for minor injuries, while the driver of the pickup, 21-year-old Mark Farkas, was not injured.
“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,” PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said 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.”
Bryant was something of a late bloomer on tour. His first victory didn’t come until his 187th career start, at age 41, when he captured the 2004 Texas Open. Then he won twice more the following year, including at the Memorial tournament, and finished the season ninth on the money list with more than $3.2 million in earnings.
In all, Bryant, who turned pro in 1986, played in 317 tournaments on the PGA Tour. He also won twice in 142 starts on PGA Tour Champions.
His brother, Brad, was a winner on the PGA Tour as well, at the 1995 Walt Disney World Classic, to make them one of a dozen sets of brothers to win on tour.
According to WFLA, authorities do not yet know why the driver of the truck that struck Bryant’s failed to stop. An investigation is ongoing.