Bryant Leaves Them In The Dust
The final image of the PGA Tour season is of a man in tan pants and a white shirt, with a homespun swing and a mustache from another time.
Bart Bryant, a man of few words but of many fairways, fooled them all week at East Lake Golf Club, burying his competitors Sunday to win the Tour Championship by six strokes over Tiger Woods in the last official PGA event of the year.
With his wife, Cathy, and his daughters, Kristen and Michelle, looking on, the 42-year-old Bryant shot a three-under-par 67 and finished the 29-man tournament with a record score, 17-under-par 263. That broke Phil Mickelson's mark of 267 set in 2000.
"I feared choking my guts out all week long," said Bryant, who led after every round for his third career victory. "I didn't think I could make it into the Tour Championship, and I certainly didn't think I could win the Tour Championship."
Bryant earned $1.17 million, more than he had made in any of his 12 years of sporadic play on the Tour between 1986 and 2003. Before his first victory, in the Texas Open last year, Bryant said he used to sit in bed at night and think about quitting golf so that he could give his family a better life.
On Saturday night, he said he thought only about making birdies.
"I feel like I belong more and more," said Bryant, who won Jack Nicklaus's Memorial Tournament in June. "I certainly don't put myself in the same category as Retief Goosen and Vijay and Davis Love and Tiger Woods. They hit the ball very far and they can play any golf course well.
"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 may be 30 yards shorter off the tee than the longest players, but he was first in hitting fairways (45 of 56) and greens (58 of 72). His claw-style putting grip and efficient swing have made him the latest 40-something to find his best years late in his career, joining golfers like Vijay Singh and Kenny Perry.
"He was very consistent all week," said Woods, who shot 69 and finished runner-up in the Tour Championship for the third time. "He didn't have any bad stretches where he could have lost it."
Bryant said he felt vulnerable when he hit his tee shot into the water on the 168-yard, par-3 sixth hole and had to play from the drop area. "I started sweating a little bit at that point," he said. "I started having things going on in my mind like, 'How many can we chunk in the water from this ball drop?' "
Instead, Bryant pitched to 8 feet and made the putt for a bogey. "At other points in my career I wouldn't have been able to do that," he said.
Bryant, who has had surgery on his elbows and his left shoulder during his career, said he had a minor arthroscopic procedure planned for his left knee Tuesday for a nagging problem. He said the knee did not bother him during the tournament, and nothing else seemed to, either.
As Bryant left East Lake with a crystal trophy and a burnished reputation, his wife clutched a homemade sign for keeps: "Atlanta loves Bryant's cool mustache."
Bart Bryant, a man of few words but of many fairways, fooled them all week at East Lake Golf Club, burying his competitors Sunday to win the Tour Championship by six strokes over Tiger Woods in the last official PGA event of the year.
With his wife, Cathy, and his daughters, Kristen and Michelle, looking on, the 42-year-old Bryant shot a three-under-par 67 and finished the 29-man tournament with a record score, 17-under-par 263. That broke Phil Mickelson's mark of 267 set in 2000.
"I feared choking my guts out all week long," said Bryant, who led after every round for his third career victory. "I didn't think I could make it into the Tour Championship, and I certainly didn't think I could win the Tour Championship."
Bryant earned $1.17 million, more than he had made in any of his 12 years of sporadic play on the Tour between 1986 and 2003. Before his first victory, in the Texas Open last year, Bryant said he used to sit in bed at night and think about quitting golf so that he could give his family a better life.
On Saturday night, he said he thought only about making birdies.
"I feel like I belong more and more," said Bryant, who won Jack Nicklaus's Memorial Tournament in June. "I certainly don't put myself in the same category as Retief Goosen and Vijay and Davis Love and Tiger Woods. They hit the ball very far and they can play any golf course well.
"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 may be 30 yards shorter off the tee than the longest players, but he was first in hitting fairways (45 of 56) and greens (58 of 72). His claw-style putting grip and efficient swing have made him the latest 40-something to find his best years late in his career, joining golfers like Vijay Singh and Kenny Perry.
"He was very consistent all week," said Woods, who shot 69 and finished runner-up in the Tour Championship for the third time. "He didn't have any bad stretches where he could have lost it."
Bryant said he felt vulnerable when he hit his tee shot into the water on the 168-yard, par-3 sixth hole and had to play from the drop area. "I started sweating a little bit at that point," he said. "I started having things going on in my mind like, 'How many can we chunk in the water from this ball drop?' "
Instead, Bryant pitched to 8 feet and made the putt for a bogey. "At other points in my career I wouldn't have been able to do that," he said.
Bryant, who has had surgery on his elbows and his left shoulder during his career, said he had a minor arthroscopic procedure planned for his left knee Tuesday for a nagging problem. He said the knee did not bother him during the tournament, and nothing else seemed to, either.
As Bryant left East Lake with a crystal trophy and a burnished reputation, his wife clutched a homemade sign for keeps: "Atlanta loves Bryant's cool mustache."
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