PGA featured holes: WGC-Bridgestone

Bart Bryant had to wait nearly two decades to win on the PGA TOUR, enduring injuries and multiple trips to Q-School before handing Tiger Woods the largest defeat of his career. Bryant had considered quitting the game after a shoulder injury sent him off the TOUR in the early ‘90s but his perseverance paid off with three victories after he turned 40. Two of those wins came in his career year of 2005 when he won two of the TOUR’s biggest events, the TOUR Championship and Memorial Tournament presented by Workday. Bryant died Tuesday in a car accident at the age of 59. His first wife, Cathy, preceded him in death. She passed away in 2017 from brain cancer, 11 months after her diagnosis. He is survived by wife Donna, daughters Kristen and Michelle and his stepchildren. His brother, Brad, also is a former TOUR winner. “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.” Bart Bryant was 41 years old and had just six starts remaining on a major medical extension when he arrived at LaCantera Golf Club in 2004 for the Valero Texas Open. A third-round 60 gave him a three-shot lead over Hunter Mahan, and Bryant maintained that advantage with a 67 on Sunday. The win came in his 187th start on the PGA TOUR. “One tournament does not make a career,” said Bryant, who was born in Gatesville, Texas, but grew up in Alamogordo, New Mexico, where the Bryant brothers dominating junior and high school golf. “This is just the beginning, that’s what I’d like to think.” He was right. The next year, Bryant accepted a trophy from Jack Nicklaus, beat two World Golf Hall of Famers, finished in the top 10 on the money list and cracked the top 25 in the world ranking. Bryant already had won Nicklaus’ Memorial Tournament when he arrived at Atlanta’s East Lake Golf Club in 2005 for his TOUR Championship debut. He started the week with a course-record 62 and held at least a share of the lead after every rounds. Bryant won by six shots at East Lake to collect the biggest paycheck of his career. Tiger Woods, winner of two majors that year, finished second. It is the furthest back Woods has ever finished in a tournament where he was the runner-up. Woods could drive it 50 yards past Bryant, but the veteran overcame Woods’ power advantage with pinpoint ballstriking, leading the field in both driving accuracy and greens in regulation. “I certainly don’t put myself in the same category as Retief (Goosen) and Vijay (Singh) and Davis Love and Tiger Woods,” Bryant said. “I mean, these guys are the elite players in the world. … But I have found out that if I’m on top of my game under the right conditions, I definitely can compete with these guys.” Bryant beat another of the game’s stars, Fred Couples, earlier that year to win the Memorial at Muirfield Village Golf Club. This win required more drama than the one at East Lake. After taking the lead with a birdie on 17, Bryant drove into a hazard on the final hole and had to make a 15-foot par putt to beat Couples by one. Woods tied for third, four shots back. Bryant’s success in his 40s was the fruit of incredible perseverance, coming 19 years after the preacher’s son turned pro in 1986 out of New Mexico State, where he was a two-time All-American. Bryant graduated Q-School a half-dozen times, the first coming in 1990. He finished 124th on the money list in his rookie year before a shoulder injury derailed his 1992 season. His game got so bad that he considered quitting. He was off and on the TOUR for the next decade, playing just six full seasons between 1991 and 2003 and cracking the top 125 on the money list just once. “Things got so bad in the middle ‘90s that I never bothered going to qualifying school,” Bryant said after his win at East Lake. “As long as I was able to feed my family on what I was making on the mini-tour, I was OK.” When he won the Texas Open, he was the oldest first-time winner on the TOUR in nine years. Bart’s older brother, Brad, who earned his lone TOUR win at the 1995 Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic, was at the 18th green when Bart won for the first time, making them the 12th set of brothers to win on the PGA TOUR. “I think this is bigger for me than when I won,” Brad Bryant said of his brother’s victory. “He has been through so much, and he’s persevered. For our family, this is so big.” They both won on PGA TOUR Champions, as well. Bart won the DICK’S Sporting Goods Open in both 2013 and 2018, while Brad’s four wins included the 2007 U.S. Senior Open. Bart also paired with Ian Baker-Finch to win the Raphael Division in the 2013 Liberty Mutual Insurance Legends of Golf. After his career year in 2005, Bart Bryant would post just seven more top-10s on TOUR as the injuries that delayed his success quickly took it from him. He did finish runner-up to Jim Furyk at the 2006 RBC Canadian Open and Woods at the 2008 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, which was Woods’ fifth consecutive win on TOUR. Woods had to sink a 24-foot birdie putt on the final hole to do it, however. “I’m lucky to get up there and compete with him every now and then,” Bryant said. And beat him, the reward for patiently waiting for his opportunity.

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Far be it for me to tell you not to have a good time. After all, my Rule No. 1 of fantasy golf is to have fun. If you can’t get even that far, start over, because the rest of the experience is pointless otherwise. However, when we have a team competition directly in front of us, the advice is to only have fun. Shed the kinds of expectations you have during an individual event when golfers control their own destiny. Consider that the teams of Jason Day and Adam Scott, Patrick Cantlay and Patrick Reed, Joaquin Niemann and Dylan Frittelli, Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel, Tony Finau and Kyle Stanley, Cameron Champ and Sam Burns, Carlos Ortiz and Sebastián Muñoz, and Abraham Ancer and Jhonattan Vegas all missed the cut at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans … in 2019 alone. Even the inaugural team to win – Cameron Smith and Jonas Blixt in 2017 – missed the cut in 2018 and 2019. RELATED: Power Rankings | Expert Picks | How it works Rule No. 2 is to listen and learn, but there’s really nothing to be logged for another time. Same can be said about the recent Match Play and for both the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup. The success and failure you have likely will be coincidental because of the formats. The moral of the matter is to leave well enough alone. Stop short of judging your performance no matter how lucky or unlucky. It’s why I’ve always defaulted to a position as a fan in these events. There’s always next week. Speaking of which, PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf takes this week off. It will resume with the Valspar Championship on April 29-May 2. So, this edition of the Fantasy Insider omits Draws and Fades. POWER RANKINGS WILD CARD Viktor Hovland & Kris Ventura (+3300) … Had this been contested in, say, October, the duo representing Norway would have been in the Power Rankings proper. However, Ventura has slumped in a big way since. He’s cashed just four times in his last 14 starts, none for a top 35. Meanwhile, Hovland’s consistency aligns directly with his profile as a balanced performer. He’s been rock-solid just about every time out. If necessary, he could carry this twosome and not feel any pressure. Odds sourced on Tuesday, April 20 at 5 a.m. ET. For live odds visit betmgm. RETURNING TO COMPETITION James Hahn … This is a good sign. He hasn’t played since an injured rib forced him to retire from The Honda Classic during his opening round. At 69th in the FedExCup and ninth in greens in regulation, teammate Martin Trainer is in a good place to make a dent in his own season. Trainer is just 3-for-16 and 214th in points. Both guys are making their debuts in the team competition, and it’s Trainer’s first-ever look at TPC Louisiana. Michael Kim … Walked off Harbour Town during his second round last week. An explanation wasn’t released. He dealt with a sore back on two different occasions in 2020 during which he failed to cash in all 15 starts. He opened 2021 with four cuts made in six starts, but he’s gone 0-for-4 since. He and former Cal-Berkeley teammate Brandon Hagy have joined forces this week. NOTABLE WDs Seamus Power … Tested positive for COVID-19. Alternate Zack Sucher assumes Power’s position as David Hearn’s teammate. Hearn and Power slotted No. 10 in my Power Rankings on Monday. Tyler McCumber … Second consecutive early withdrawal. No news has surfaced to explain why and, as of Tuesday afternoon, he hasn’t alerted his followers on social media. The 30-year-old has experienced an inconsistent but fruitful season. Currently 59th in the FedExCup, so he can be patient. Ryan Brehm … Currently 165th in the FedExCup with one top 25 (T11, Puerto Rico) among six cuts made in 10 starts. Lanto Griffin replaced him as Joel Dahmen’s teammate. Brehm owns the distinction of ranking second on TOUR in distance of all drives at 309.1 yards. Of course, Bryson DeChambeau (311.4 yards) is longest, but to name a few notables with muscle, Cameron Champ (3rd), Rory McIlroy (4th), Brooks Koepka (5th), Dustin Johnson (6th) and Matthew Wolff (8th) trail. Not too shabby for a 35-year-old. It doesn’t hurt that Brehm checks in at 6’4” and 220 pounds. POWER RANKINGS RECAP – RBC Heritage Power Ranking Golfer Result 1 Webb Simpson T9 2 Corey Conners T4 3 Daniel Berger T13 4 Patrick Cantlay MC 5 Brian Harman T13 6 Will Zalatoris T42 7 Tyrrell Hatton T39 8 Matt Fitzpatrick T4 9 Cameron Smith T9 10 Abraham Ancer T18 11 Matt Kuchar T18 12 Ian Poulter T48 13 Kevin Streelman T33 14 Harris English MC 15 Dustin Johnson T13 Wild Card Kevin Kisner MC SLEEPERS RECAP – RBC Heritage Golfer Result Doug Ghim T33 Chesson Hadley MC Russell Henley T9 William McGirt MC Chase Seiffert T42 BIRTHDAYS AMONG ACTIVE GOLFERS ON THE PGA TOUR April 20 … John Senden (50) April 21 … none April 22 … Eric Axley (47) April 23 … none April 24 … Jason Bohn (48); Lee Westwood (48); Jonas Blixt (37); Carlos Ortiz (30) April 25 … Nick Watney (40) April 26 … J.B. Holmes (39) Visit BetMGM.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ years of age or older to wager. CO, IA, IN,MI, NJ, NV,PA, TN, VA or WV only. Excludes Michigan Disassociated Persons. Please Gamble Responsibly. 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Martin Kaymer, who is chasing his first win since the 2014 U.S. Open, shot a 4-under 68 and was part of a three-way tie for the lead at the Memorial. Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy both missed the cut.

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