Pro golfer Grayson Murray has died at 30 years old, the PGA Tour announced in a May 25 press release. The PGA Tour’s Commissioner Jay Monahan wrote in a news release that he was “at a loss for words.”
“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.
The cause of death was not clear. However, according to TMZ, Murray, who was competing in the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas, “pulled himself from the tourney during Friday’s second round, citing an illness.” The exact illness was not released.
According to the PGA Tour, Murray “won his second PGA TOUR title at this year’s Sony Open in Hawaii.”
The PGA Tour Commissioner Says That Grayson Murray’s Parents Asked That the Tour ‘Continue With Tournament Play
“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,” PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan said in a news release. “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.
“I reached out to Grayson’s parents to offer our deepest condolences, and during that conversation, they asked that we continue with tournament play,” Monahan said in a statement.
“They were adamant that Grayson would want us to do so. As difficult as it will be, we want to respect their wishes.”
GSE Worldwide, his management team, told ESPN, “We will hold off on commenting until we learn further details, but our heart aches for his family, his friends and all who loved him during this very difficult time.”
Grayson Murray Was Engaged to Be Married
GettyGrayson Murray.
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.”
He was previously diagnosed with social anxiety, according to a length profile by NBC Sports, which also reported that he had struggled with depression. He was open about mental health issues.
In July 2023, Murray wrote on Instagram,
8 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. If something is holding you back from something great it’s about making sacrifices. 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.
Grayson Murray’s Career Was on the Rise With a ‘Playoff Victory’ to Start the 2024 Season, the PGA Tour Wrote
According to the PGA Tour’s press release, Murray, 30, “was a standout golfer from his youth. He won three consecutive Callaway Junior World Championships (2006-08) and was the top-ranked golfer in his age group. He made his first cut on the Korn Ferry Tour at age 16, becoming the second-youngest player ever to do so.”
He played golf at Wake Forest University, East Carolina University and Arizona State University, and then “he got the break he needed in 2016 when he was given a sponsor’s exemption into the Korn Ferry Tour event near his hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina,” the Tour wrote.
“He finished inside the top 10 at that event, the Rex Hospital Open, which qualified him for another start. When he posted another top 10 at the BMW Charity Pro-Am, his professional career took off. He concluded his season with a victory at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship to finish second on the Korn Ferry Tour money list and earn full status on the PGA TOUR for the 2016-17 season. The win came a week before his 23rd birthday,” the press release says.
The PGA Tour’s release continues:
Murray wasted little time establishing himself on golf’s biggest stage as a rookie. He won the 2017 Barbasol Championship while still just 23 years old. His final-round 68 not only secured a one-shot victory, but also solidified a two-year exemption through the 2019 PGA TOUR season. He finished 66th in the FedExCup and earned nearly $1.5 million.
Grayson struggled for the next few seasons on the PGA TOUR. In 2023, he found his game again on the Korn Ferry Tour; he notched two victories – the Advent Health Championship in Kansas City and the Simmons Bank Open outside of Nashville – to finish fourth on that tour’s points list and earn a spot back onto the PGA TOUR for the following season.
Murray opened the 2024 season with a playoff victory at the Sony Open in Hawaii. He made a clutch up and down on the 72nd hole for a birdie to force a playoff. Then he sank a 40-foot birdie putt on the first extra hole to defeat Byeong Hun An and Keegan Bradley. He reached a career-high 46th in the Official World Golf Ranking after that victory.
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