Deceased Grayson Murray talked about his past depression, alcohol issues

Golf

By Ted Holmlund

Grayson Murray, who died at age 30 on Saturday morning, had been open about his battles with alcoholism and mental illness in the past.

Murray, a two-time PGA Tour winner, battled depression and alcohol addiction for years, but had recently enjoyed a career resurgence.

He won the Sony Open in January after winning two Korn Ferry events in 2023 to requalify for his PGA Tour card. It was his first victory in seven years.

After the Sony Open win in Hawaii, an emotional Murray discussed the hard fight he had with mental issues and finding happiness and admitted he had considered suicide.

“It’s not easy,” he said. “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.”

Murray also praised his fiancée, Christiana Ritchie and Jesus, for giving him love and support during the hard times.

“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.”

The Sony Open wasn’t the only time Murray had talked about his battle with depression and alcoholism. After his win in the Korn Ferry Tour’s AdventHealth Championship — his first victory in six years at the time — he credited the help his parents had given him during his hard times.

“Six years is a long drought, far longer than I wanted,” Murray said. “Sometimes your highs are high out here and your lows are low. It’s a very humbling sport. I’ve been working really hard, and this is a testament to the hard work.

“My parents have been through hell and back basically for the last six years with me fighting some mental stuff,” he added.

“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 when you can share it with them.”

In 2021, Murray blasted the PGA Tour for not having enough services available to help in his fight with alcoholism.

“No the pga tour didn’t force me to drink. but the pga tour never gave me help,” Murray wrote in a tweet that was later deleted. “In my 5 years of experience of being on tour not once have i ever had a request been acknowledged by the commissioner or the PAC other than ‘we will get back to you’. I hope not only the PGA tour steps up in the areas they need to step up but i also hope people are held accountable in their roles they serve.”

In subsequent years, Murray had patched up his issues with the PGA Tour and, along with commissioner Jay Monahan, had worked together to make the tour more helpful to players who are undergoing mental health battles.

“I am at a loss for words,” PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said 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.”

Murray also was appointed to the 16-member Player Advisory Council.

“My story is not finished. I think it’s just beginning,” Murray said in Hawaii. “I hope I can inspire a lot of people going forward that have their own issues.”

Before his death on Saturday, Murray — a Raleigh native — had withdrawn from the Charles Schwab Challenge on Friday.

No cause of death has been disclosed.