Area pro golfer Bart Bryant dies in vehicle accident
Three-time PGA Tour winner Bart Bryant was killed when a truck slammed into his Volkswagen SUV while he was stopped in a line of vehicles for a construction crew in the area of SR 33 at Flanders Station Drive on Tuesday.
First responders arrived after 12:20 and located the 59-year-old Auburndale resident, who was unresponsive, and performed CPR. Bryant was transported to a local hospital where he died.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Bryant was driving with his wife, Donna Bryant, who was also transported to a hospital and suffered minor injuries.
According to the investigation, flaggers with flags, cones and signs working with a construction crew halted northbound and southbound traffic on SR 33. Bryant’s Volkswagen, the last car in the line, stopped in the southbound lane, was struck in the rear by a black 2011 Ford F-150 truck, driven by 21-year-old Mark Farkas of Clermont, at highway speed.
Farkas, according to a press release, was not injured.
SR 33 was closed approximately four hours amid the investigation which is still ongoing.
Bryant is survived by his wife, daughters, Kristen and Michelle, as well as his stepchildren. His brother, Brad, is a former PGA Tour winner as well.
“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 on PGATour.com. “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.”
The New Mexico State University alumni, who turned professional in 1986, had a total of eight professional wins and was a two-time PGA Tour Champions winner.
Bryant's career was marked by humility and perseverance, and he was awarded the Ben Hogan Award by the Golf Writers Association of America in 2006 for staying active in golf despite physical setbacks.
He had rotator cuff surgery in 1992 that sent him bouncing around mini-tours and trips to PGA Tour qualifying school to keep his card. He also had surgery on both elbows, and he won his first tournament at the 2004 Texas Open.
Nothing could top his 2005 season. He held off Fred Couples to win the Memorial, saving par from a creek on the 18th hole at Muirfield Village. And at the Tour Championship at East Lake to end the year, he opened with a 62 and went wire-to-wire, winning by six shots over Tiger Woods. That remains the most shots Woods finished behind as a runner-up.
— Material from The Associated Press was used in this report.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Area pro golfer Bart Bryant dies in vehicle accident
