Professional golfer Grayson Murray, the 58th-ranked golfer in the world, died by suicide just a few hours after withdrawing from the Charles Schwab Challenge on Saturday. He was 30 years old.
Murray, who won the 2017 Barbasol Championship and the Sony Open earlier this year, battled anxiety, depression, and alcohol abuse early throughout his young career, CBS Sports reported. The pro-golfer from North Carolina said in January that he had been sober since early 2023. Murray was a standout golfer from a young age, becoming the second-youngest golfer to make the cut on the Korn Ferry Tour at just 16 years old.
“We have spent the last 24 hours trying to come to terms with the fact that our son is gone,” said Murray’s parents, Eric and Terry. “It’s surreal that we not only have to admit it to ourselves, but that we also have to acknowledge it to the world. It’s a nightmare.”
His parents said that he was loved by everyone in his life from family to friends to other golfers to fans.
“Life wasn’t always easy for Grayson, and although he took his own life, we know he rests peacefully now,” the statement said. “Please respect our privacy as we work through this incredible tragedy, and please honor Grayson by being kind to one another. If that becomes his legacy, we could ask for nothing else.”
Murray’s death was announced on CBS’ broadcast of the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas, with CBS commentator Jim Nantz saying that the PGA Tour offered to Murray’s family to “stop play.”
“The family was, again, adamant that Grayson — and the family — wants the tournament to go on,” Nantz said. “Grayson Murray gone way too soon at the age of 30. It’s a sad day on the PGA Tour.”
After he got sober last year, Murray said his faith and his fiancee helped him battle through.
“It took me a long time to get to this point,” he said in January. “… I’m a different man now. I would not be in this position right now today if I didn’t put that drink down eight months ago.”
“People who don’t know me, I’ll have to show it through my actions, and they’ll get back on Grayson’s side,” he added. “My demeanor is so much better. It’s really a lot of fun now. I really don’t live and die by a golf shot anymore. I’m not going to sit here and say it’s going to be all glory and roses, but it’s going to be a lot better.”
