Grayson Murray, the pro golfer who died suddenly on May 25, did not have a wife or kids, but his family included his parents, who were very involved in his golfing career.
He also leaves behind a fiancee.
Murray’s death at 30 years old was announced by the PGA Tour announced in a May 25 press release.
“We were devastated to learn – and are heartbroken to share – that PGA TOUR player Grayson Murray passed away this morning,” the PGA Tour wrote in a post on X. Although the cause of death was not given, Murray had pulled himself out of the Charles Schwab Challenge in Texas on May 24, citing an unspecified illness, according to TMZ.
In October 2023, he wrote on Instagram, “What an incredible 30th birthday trip with my favorite people. Can’t wait what this decade brings me. GOD IS GREAT.”
Grayson Murray’s Dad, Eric, Opened Up About His Son’s Struggles With Depression & Anxiety
When Murray was a 23-year-old rookie with a social media following, his dad spoke to NBC Sports for a lengthy profile about the golfer.
“As a parent, I’m wishing and telling him my thoughts, but you have to live your own life and your own experiences,” Grayson’s father, Eric, told NBC Sports at that time. “With my older two kids, it was like a light came on when they hit 25 and they became an adult. That’s what I’m waiting for with Grayson.”
NBC Sports reported in that article that Murray had struggled with “social anxiety” and depression. According to NBC Sports, Murray’s first exposure to golf came using his mother’s clubs and playing with his dad and older brother, Cameron.
Murray bounced around colleges and suffered a concussion, NBC Sports reported. “He was not only playing the top golfers in the world, but he was also battling himself, and that was the toughest battle of all,” his dad told NBC Sports. “He was already in trouble – the concussion just pushed him over the edge. The combination was overwhelming.” His father took him to see an anxiety specialist, according to NBC Sports.
His dad works in the “auto parts industry,” NBC Sports reported. “I’m telling you,” Eric Murray told the site, “Grayson is my hero because I have seen first-hand how hard it’s been. Most people would have given up. Said it was too hard. Gone and gotten a real job. But here’s a kid who had a problem, everyone is telling him there’s no issue, and yet he just kept digging his heels in and finding a way to do what he always wanted to do in life.”
Grayson Murray’s Mom, Terry, Was Almost Killed in a ‘Freak Accident’ With an SUV, Reports Say
Murray’s mom, Terry, almost died when he was a kid, when she was “crushed by an SUV after a freak accident in the parking lot of a Bed Bath & Beyond,” NBC Sports reported. She had a “lengthy recovery,” the site reported.
“That taught him early on that you just have to fight,” his father told NBC Sports.
In 2021, Grayson Murray wrote about his mom’s accident in an Instagram post:
9 years ago today our family’s life changed. I remember being in the car with my dad in a Burger King drive-thru when he received a call from someone saying, “Your wife has been in a horrific accident you need to get to the hospital immediately”. He threw the $20, grabbed our food, and sped off. My mom was standing behind her minivan at the time in a Bed Bath& Beyond parking lot when a guy failed to leave his emergency break on his SUV pulling a trailer. That guy’s SUV rolled down a hill 93 yards and crushed my mom in between both vehicles. If it wasn’t for the help of a wonderful woman on the scene, first responders, all the doctors, nurses, family members, and God my mom wouldn’t be here today with us. The doctors not only were able to save her life but also both legs after a total of 11 surgeries. To this day, when she comes to my golf tournaments she walks every hole. I have never once heard her complain about the pain. Mom we love you and we love how brave you are.
Grayson Murray Gave His Family Shout Outs on His Instagram Page
GettyThe cause of death for Grayson Murray is not yet clear.
On April 14, Murray wrote on Instagram, “What an incredible week with all my family and friends at my first Masters.”
On January 15, he wrote, “What an incredible week. This couldn’t be possible without the support of my family, caddie, coaches, and my sponsors.”
In 2020, he shared a screenshot of him on television and wrote, “No Carolina wasn’t one of the 3 schools I went to but It would have definitely been my 4th. Mom, I’m famous now.”
Grayson Murray’s Parents Didn’t Want the Tournament Cancelled Despite Their Son’s Death, the PGA Tour Commissioner Says
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan wrote in the press release that he had “reached out to Grayson’s parents to offer our deepest condolences, and during that conversation, they asked that we continue with tournament play.”
He said that they were “adamant” about that because they said it’s what Murray would have wanted. “As difficult as it will be, we want to respect their wishes,” Monahan wrote.
He described the PGA Tour as being like 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.”
Grayson Murray Leaves Behind a Fiancee
According to NBC Sports, Murray “was engaged to be married to Christiana Ritchie, whom he met in 2021.”
“I wouldn’t trade anything,” Murray said, according to NBC Sports.
“I have a beautiful fiancée. I have beautiful parents. I have beautiful nephews, siblings. Everyone in my life right now who is close to me, who has been through the struggles with me, it’s all a team effort. I think this is just the start of something really special.”
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