Golfer Grayson Murray, Two-Time PGA Tour Winner, Dead at 30

Professional golfer Grayson Murray has died at the age of 30.

PGA Tour officials confirmed Murray’s death in an official statement posted on the organization’s website on Saturday, May 25.

“We were devastated to learn – and heartbroken to share – that PGA TOUR player Grayson Murray passed away this morning. I am at a loss for words,” PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement. “The PGA TOUR is a family, and when you lose a family member, you’re never the same. We mourn Grayson and pray for comfort for his loved ones.”

The tour was in the middle of the 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge when Murray died, and Monahan said he reached out to the late golfer’s loved ones, who gave their consent for the event to go ahead. The commissioner also said in his statement that grief counselors will be present at various venues on the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour this week.

The statement did not specify the cause of death.

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Grayson Murray tees off on the fifth hole during the second round of the RBC Heritage at Harbor Town Golf Links on April 19, 2024.

Andrew Redington/Getty

Per USA Today, Murray was entered into the Charles Schwab Challenge this week and played the first round and part of the second round before withdrawing from the event on Friday.

Earlier this year, the athlete won his second PGA Tour title at the Sony Open in Hawaii.

Murray won three consecutive Callaway Junior World Championships from 2006 to 2008 and was once the top-ranked golfer in his age group. At the age of 16, he made his first success on the Korn Ferry Tour, becoming the second youngest player to achieve this feat.

Murray attended Wake Forest University, East Carolina University, and Arizona State University, Ph.D USA Todayand in his youth he was a “prominent golfer,” according to the PGA Tour.

In 2016, he received a sponsor’s exemption at a Korn Ferry Tour event near Raleigh, North Carolina, his hometown, and placed in the top 10. His professional golf career took off shortly after that achievement.

Murray’s other career highlights include winning the 2017 Barbasol Championship at just 23 years old — marking his first PGA Tour title. He reached a career-high 46th in the Official World Golf Ranking after his 2024 Sony Open in Hawaii this year.

Murray has been open about his alcohol consumption, once crediting a hangover for his victory in the Barbasol Championship.

“The best and worst thing that ever happened to me was winning in my first year,” po said USA Today. “I think alcohol brought out a side of me that wasn’t me. It was kind of the monster in me.”

Grayson Murray.

Andrew Redington/Getty

He has also dealt with injuries at bad times during his career, including a scooter accident in Bermuda in 2022, and has spoken candidly about the anxiety and depression he once said made it hard to get out of bed.

“I just thought I was a failure,” he said, per USA Today. “I thought I had a lot of talent, and it’s just a waste of talent.”

The site also reported that he said he sobered up “by choice” in 2023 and hopes to approach the 2024 season as a fresh start, as if it were his new year.

“I was young and I thought I was invincible. I didn’t do the right things off the track to really give myself the best chance to succeed here,” he said USA Today.

“My scooter accident in Bermuda was truly the lowest point of my life,” he continued. “You know, I’ve obviously been vocal about my alcohol use in the past. I’ve been sober for over eight months now. I have a beautiful fiancée who I love very much and who is so supportive, and my parents are so supportive.”

If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the text crisis line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the SAMHSA Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

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