PGA Tour member Grayson Murray, who won the Sony Open in Hawaii in January, died at age 30, commissioner Jay Monahan announced Saturday. The announcement came one day after Murray withdrew from the Charles Schwab Challenge at Fort Worth, Texas.
No cause of death was given.
Murray withdrew late in Friday’s second round, citing illness.
“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 said in a statement Saturday. “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.”
Monahan said he reached out to Murray’s family to offer condolences and his parents requested that this weekend’s tournament continue as scheduled.
“The PGA TOUR has grief counselors available at both tournament sites, as well as virtually for those not in the field,” Monahan said. “I am en route to Ft. Worth and will share more information when we can.”
Murray shot a 68 in Thursday’s opening round at Colonial Country Club. He played 16 holes on Friday before he withdrew.
Murray’s Sony Open win was his second career victory after coming out on top at the Barbasol Championship in 2017 at Nicholasville, Ky.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was among the players stunned to learn about Murray’s death.
“Obviously the news hasn’t really sunk in quite yet, but I’m thinking about his family and praying hard for all of them,” Scheffler said after completing the third round. “I can’t imagine how difficult of a time this is. I got to know Grayson a bit better over the last six months or so and, yeah, really just, there’s not really a way to put into words how sad and tragic it is, but I’m thinking about his family.”
Webb Simpson said he knew Murray for more than 20 years.
“I think I first met Grayson at my home club when Grayson was probably 8 years old, maybe 9,” Simpson recalled. “He was the first winner of the Webb Simpson Challenge Junior Tournament that I’ve had for 14 years. So, when you hear news like that over the phone you don’t think it’s real at first, and you know, you hear the emotion coming from our swing coach and then you realize it’s real.
“But I know that his mom was with him during the Wells Fargo Championship (earlier this month) and I think they were hanging out together, and I loved those two days we got together. So I’m super thankful for getting some good time with him before the bad news of today.”
In 2021, Murray revealed on social media that he was receiving treatment for alcoholism. He was also open about his mental health struggles after winning in January.
“Yeah, my parents have been through, you know, hell and back basically for the last six years with me fighting some mental stuff,” Murray said at the time. “It’s not easy on me, and the people around me that love me, they don’t like to see me down. They’ve been my No. 1 supporters. There’s a few friends as well that have been there and it makes these moments a lot more special.”
Monahan flew to Fort Worth on Saturday and later met with reporters. He was asked if the PGA Tour does enough to help golfers who may be struggling with mental health issues.
“Just want to be clear. We don’t know the circumstances around Grayson’s passing,” Monahan said. “My conversations with Grayson in the past, you know, in the area of mental health, we’re always challenging ourselves to make certain that we’re on the front edge of being able to provide the support that we can for everybody out here.
“Listen, these are some of the best athletes in the world. They think they’re — you know, and they are, in many respects, invincible. I think one of the things that I think back about Grayson’s openness is — and I speak about courage, he taught us all a lesson on that front, and that’s something I’ll never forget.”
Murray gained his PGA Tour card for 2024 by winning twice on the Korn Ferry Tour last season.
A native of Raleigh, N.C., Murray was a three-time winner of the Callaway Junior Championships. He attended both Wake Forest and Arizona State, playing in the U.S. Open for the first time in 2013 as an amateur.
His best result in a major was a tie for 22nd at the 2017 PGA Championship.
In his Sony victory, Murray drained a 38-foot birdie putt in a playoff to beat Keegan Bradley and Byeon Hun An.
Murray earned $1.5 million, 500 FedEx Cup points, full exempt status on the PGA Tour through the 2026 season, and guaranteed spots in all remaining Signature Events on the 2024 PGA Tour schedule.
It was Murray’s first victory since his rookie year in 2017 and he was open about his sobriety after his victory in January.
“It took me a long time to get to this point,” he said in the Star-Advertiser on Jan. 14 after the win. “That was seven years ago, over seven years ago. 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.”
