By Jenna West and Brody Miller
May 25, 2024
Two-time PGA Tour winner Grayson Murray died by suicide Saturday morning. He was 30 years old.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan confirmed Murray’s death in a statement Saturday. On Sunday, Murray’s family said in a statement that he had killed himself.
“The PGA Tour is a family, and when you lose a member of your family, you are never the same,” Monahan said in the statement. “We mourn Grayson and pray for comfort for his loved ones.”
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On Friday, Murray withdrew from the second round of the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas, citing an illness. He had finished all but the final two holes in the round. He had bogeyed the final three holes and was 5-over-par, which ended up being the cut line.
Monahan said he spoke with Murray’s parents, who requested the tournament to continue.
“They were adamant that Grayson would want us to do so,” Monahan said. “As difficult as it will be, we want to respect their wishes.”
Bubba Watson, a 12-time PGA Tour winner, paid tribute to Murray on X and recalled seeing Murray at this year’s Masters.
“Very sad to hear the news of Grayson Murray’s passing today. Life is so fragile,” Watson tweeted. “I was just hugging you at the Masters, telling you how proud of you I am. Thankful to have known you. My deepest condolences to his family and friends during this difficult time. He will be missed.”
Very sad to hear the news of Grayson Murray’s passing today. Life is so fragile… I was just hugging you at the Masters, telling you how proud of you I am. Thankful to have known you.
My deepest condolences to his family and friends during this difficult time. He will be missed.
— bubba watson (@bubbawatson) May 25, 2024
Murray had publicly battled alcoholism and mental health issues, but he returned to form and earned his PGA Tour card back this fall and won the Sony Open in Hawaii in January. He made the cut at both the Masters and the PGA Championship the last two months and finished T10 at the signature event Wells Fargo Championship just two weeks ago. He was ranked as the No. 58 player in the world by the Official World Golf Ranking.
Grayson Murray's fianceé, Christiana, shows the group how it's done. #themasters pic.twitter.com/13b9VTzAev
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 10, 2024
Peter Malnati spoke on the CBS broadcast about Murray, who he played with the first two days of the Charles Schwab Challenge.
“We all want to beat each other. And then something like this happens and you realize we’re all just humans,” Malnati said, fighting back tears. “It’s a really hard day.
“You look at Grayson and you see him. Someone who has visibly outwardly struggled in the past. And he’s been open about it. You see him kind of get his life back to a place where he’s feeling good about things. It’s just so sad.”
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A North Carolina native who attended Wake Forest, East Carolina and Arizona State during his collegiate career, Murray became the second youngest player to make the cut at a Korn Ferry Tour event at 16, and he played as an amateur in the U.S. Open at 19. He quickly earned a PGA Tour card as a professional in 2017 and won the Barbasol Championship that year for his first win on tour.
Over time, Murray became known for his angry outbursts on the course and the PGA Tour putting him on probation three years ago for an incident at a hotel bar, also in Hawaii. He tweeted after the incident, “Why was I drunk? Because I’m a f—ing alcoholic that hates everything to do with the PGA Tour life and that’s my scapegoat.” He then accused the tour of not giving him proper help, which the tour denied.
After struggles on and off the course, Murray said he received treatment for addiction and won twice on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2023.
“There are days where I didn’t want to get out of bed,” Murray said after his win in January. “I just thought I was a failure. I always looked at myself as a failure. I thought I had a lot of talent that was just a waste of talent. It was a bad place, but like I said, you have to have courage. You have to have the willingness to keep going. Lo and behold, that’s what I did, and I’m here, and I’m so blessed and I’m thankful.”
(Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
