Although star golfer Grayson Murray was publicly very open about his mental health struggles off the course, his life had taken a turn for the better in the months before his sudden death on May 25.
In July, Murray revealed that he had found sobriety from alcohol use in a lengthy Instagram post. “78 days ago i had my last drink. I was 648th in the world. flash forward and I’m 156th in the world. I’ve put in a lot of hard work in other areas of my life since then as well,” he wrote.
In addition, Murray was engaged to be married, and, according to the PGA Tour, he was doing well on the links.
“You look at Grayson, and you see someone who has physically outwardly struggled in the past, and he’s been open about it, and he seemed to kind of get his life back to a place where he’s feeling good about things; it’s just so sad,” his last playing partner, Peter Malnati, told CBS Sports, breaking down.
The PGA Tour confirmed in a statement that Murray, 30, died on the morning of May 25. Although his cause of death was not released, TMZ reported that he withdrew from a Texas tournament the day before because of an “illness” that was not explained.
Grayson Murray Wrote That He Was ‘Living Proof That a Little Change Can Be the Difference’
In the Instagram post on sobriety, Murray struck an inspirational tone.
“If something is holding you back from something great it’s about making sacrifices,” he wrote. “I got a long ways to go to achieve my ultimate goals but i’m living proof that a little change can be the difference in something great in your life. All it takes is self discipline and a great support team.”
Friends and fans offered support in the comment thread. “Congrats on your sobriety, relationship with Jesus and your fiance and the win!! Looking forward to seeing you,” wrote one.
Grayson Murray Said He Tried to Help Out People Who Went Through Depression & Anxiety Like He Has
In May 2023, Murray opened up in an Instagram video about his struggles with depression and anxiety and how he hoped to help other people going through similar issues.
“Yeah my parents have been through, you know, hell and back basically for the last six years with me fighting some mental stuff,” he said. “And it’s not easy on me and the people around me who love me. They don’t like to see me down. They’ve been my number one supporters, and everyone has their battles and sometimes people are able to hide them and function, and sometimes you’re not.”
He added that, “I think our society is getting better at accepting that it’s okay to not be okay type deal, and I’ve embraced that type of mentality. I’m not ashamed I go through depression and anxiety. I know I’ve helped people out in the past through my social media DMs. People message me and that’s you know. I can use my platform to continue to help with things like that.”
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