PGA Tour player Grayson Murray dies at age 30 while at Colonial event

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[PHOTO: Michael Reaves]

PGA Tour player Grayson Murray is dead at age 30.

The tour announced his death in an e-mail overnight, Australian time, with statements from commissioner Jay Monahan.

“We were devastated to learn – and are heartbroken to share – that PGA Tour player Grayson Murray passed away this morning. I am at a loss for words,” Monahan wrote. “The PGA Tour is a family, and when you lose a member of your family, you are never the same. We mourn Grayson and pray for comfort for his loved ones.

“I reached out to Grayson’s parents to offer our deepest condolences, and during that conversation, they asked that we continue with tournament play. They were adamant that Grayson would want us to do so. As difficult as it will be, we want to respect their wishes.”

Monahan said he was en route to Fort Worth, site of this week’s Charles Schwab Challenge, and that grief counselling would be available for players and others associated with the tour.

No details have been provided about the nature of Murray’s death. He was in Fort Worth this week playing in the Charles Schwab Challenge. Murray shot 68 at Colonial Country Club in the first round, but in the second, he made three straight bogeys and withdrew with two holes remaining, citing illness.

Murray had battled alcohol addiction and depression for years, but also experienced what looked like a career resurgence when won twice in 2023 on the Korn Ferry Tour to re-earn his PGA Tour card, and then won the Sony Open in Hawaii in January. It was his second career victory on the main circuit and his first in seven years.

On forgiving, but not forgetting, Grayson Murray and his controversial past

Immediately after the win, an emotional Murray said, “It’s not easy. I wanted to give up a lot of times. Give up on myself. Give up on the game of golf. Give up on life, at times.”

He also praised his fiancĂ©e and Jesus and said, “When you get tired of fighting, let someone else fight for you… I hope everyone at home watching can get a little inspiration from it. If I can just help one person, that’s all it takes… I knew today was not going to change my life, but it did change my career, and I’m excited.”

Social-media reaction from players began showing up soon after the news broke:

On the CBS TV coverage, Peter Malnati spoke with high emotion after playing with Murray in the first two rounds:

Murray’s caddie, Jay Green, told Golf Channel, “Grayson was the absolute best. Not only was he an incredible, thoughtful and generous boss, he has an even better friend. He truly would do anything for anyone. He has the best family, and my heart goes out to them. We will all miss him deeply.”

As a youth, Murray won three consecutive Junior World championships and was the top-ranked player in his age group. The man from Raleigh in North Carolina captured a state title in high school and then played for three different universities – Wake Forest, East Carolina and Arizona State. Murray earned conditional status through Q-School on the then-Web.com Tour in 2016., and he not only reached the PGA Tour the next year, he won his first title at the Barbasol Championship.

But there were also dark times ahead of Murray. He frequently battled commenters on X (then Twitter), and in July 2021, he shared on social media that his elderly aunt and uncle were killed in their North Carolina home. Those deaths came on the heels of the recent passing of Murray’s grandmother.

After a second-round withdrawal at the 3M Open that same month, Murray took to Twitter to talk about his battles with drinking and said he was on probation by the PGA Tour for an incident in a hotel bar in Hawaii. He went on to write that he is an alcoholic and playing the PGA Tour has been “awful” for him, while claiming the tour had ignored his pleas for help. In response, the PGA Tour released a statement: “We can unequivocally say that the PGA Tour is a family, and when a member of that family needs help, we are there for him. That has been the case here and will continue to be.”

Grayson Murray’s parents release statement, disclose cause of death

In August that year, Murray revealed on social media that he was in treatment for alcohol abuse. “I still have a long ways to go and have made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t leave until I was 100% ready for the real world again,” Murray wrote. “Thanks for all the messages it means a lot.”

More than a year later, in October 2022, Murray was in a serious scooter crash while competing in Bermuda and suffered injuries to his face, hands and knee.

After his win this year in Hawaii, Murray said he had been sober for eight months, and he spoke of the anxiety and depression that contributed to his drinking.

“I struggle with comparing myself to others, self-esteem,” Murray said. “I think they’re common issues that we all endure. I got tired of trying to fight it alone, and I asked for help one day, and that’s when my life changed.”