"The whole back into my car was gone": PGA Tour Q-School debutant talks about his new life perspective
Bryce Lewis is one of the players participating in the 2024 PGA Tour Q-School. Lewis is a recent college graduate but has gained a new perspective on life that he brought to the Q-School.
A few months ago, Lewis was involved in a car accident that nearly took his life. Fortunately, he suffered no physical injuries, but the experience changed the way he views his existence.
Lewis told the Korn Ferry Tour News Service:
"I was in a pretty bad car accident a few months ago, and that will change your perspective a little bit. The fact that somebody told me that I'm lucky to be alive is pretty crazy...To be honest, it took some pressure off of me last week." [0:01 - 0:18]
Lewis claimed the most impressive moment for him was after the crash when he got off and saw the car. He said:
"I stepped out and saw my car. That's when I freaked out, because it was really bad. The whole back into my car was like, gone. Went to the hospital and nothing was wrong with me. When I got into the ambulance, the lady was like, 'I thought y'all were dead, when I pulled up on the spot, for sure'. That's when I lost it a little bit." [0:31 - 0:51]
He added:
"That was pretty emotional for me...If I ever have a bad day, it's like, 'at least I'm having a bad day', it's better that not having a day at all." [0:57, 1:22 - 1:30]
Bryce Lewis played the first two rounds of the PGA Tour Q-School with scores of 71 and 75 (6-over after 36 holes). That put him in a tie for 79th place and out of contention for a PGA Tour card. The top five Q-School finishers (plus ties) will play on the main tour in 2025.
Bryce Lewis' journey to PGA Tour Q-School
Bryce Lewis started playing golf at a very young age and excelled as a junior. He won the Tennessean Schooldays Championship in 2016 and the Under Armour/Scott Stallings Championship in 2017. He set the event record at the latter tournament.
Lewis earned a scholarship to play collegiate golf at the University of Tennessee. He stayed with the Volunteers for five seasons and earned several accolades.
In his collegiate golf career, Lewis played in 49 tournaments and 148 rounds, 91 of which were par or better. His stroke average was 71.01, with a best round of 63, and he finished in the top-10 13 times and the top-25 29 times.
At the time of his graduation, Lewis was ranked 54th in the world amateur rankings. He finished 22nd in the PGA Tour University Program.