The late Grayson Murray had been honest about his mental health struggles through the years, and the golfer hoped that his candor could inspire others to get help.
In 2021, Murray was involved in an alcohol-related incident in Hawaii which led to his suspension from the PGA Tour. “Why was I drunk?” he wrote via social media after, per the New York Times. Murray added that he was an “alcoholic that hates everything to do with the PGA Tour life and that’s my scapegoat.”
Murray revealed in January 2024 that he had been sober for months. “I struggle with comparing myself to others, self-esteem,” Murray said, per Golf Digest. “There’s a lot of issues that — I call them issues. I think they’re common issues that we all endure. I got tired of trying to fight it alone, and I asked for help one day, and that’s when my life changed.”
In May 2024, Murray withdrew from an early round of the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas, citing an illness. Days later, his family confirmed that he had died by suicide. He was 30.
“Life wasn’t always easy for Grayson, and although he took his own life, we know he rests peacefully now,” his parents, Eric and Terry, wrote in a statement released by the PGA at the time, before concluding with a message for fans. “Please honor Grayson by being kind to one another. If that becomes his legacy, we could ask for nothing else.”
Scroll through for more candid quotes from Murray:
Fighting for Resources
Back in 2021, Murray came down on the PGA Tour for not giving him resources for his mental health. In a since-deleted post via X, Murray wrote, “No the PGA Tour didn’t force me to drink, but the PGA Tour never gave me help.”
Following his death in May 2024, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan spoke about Murray’s past remarks — as well as his lasting legacy — during a press conference.
“When Grayson said that, I called him right away,” Monahan said, per footage shared via X. “I wanted to understand what we could do, in his estimation, in his opinion, to help everybody else out here.”
He continued: “We’ve made a number of advancements along those lines and it’s become a real point of focus and emphasis. We’re proud of the programs we have in place to support our players, to support everybody out here.”
Monahan noted that Murray was “very open and transparent” with him. “He talked about just the peace he had in his life,” he said, pointing to Murray’s remarks after winning the Sony Open. “I found inspiration in that personally. I also found inspiration in that as a leader of this tour.”
Peace Inside the Ropes
Following his victory at the Sony Open in January 2024, Murray opened up about his struggles while talking with reporters.
“It’s not easy,” Murray said in an interview after his win. “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. Just preserve. When you get tired of fighting, let someone else fight for you.”
Murray added that he hopes people watching can get “a little inspiration” from him. “If I just help one person, that’s all it takes,” he said.
During a press conference, Murray gave a sweet shout-out to his fiancée, Christiana Ritchie, as well as those in his corner.
“I have a beautiful fiancée now that I love so much and who’s so supportive of me,” he said per the PGA Tour’s official X account. “It just makes everything so easy when I get out here inside the ropes when everyone in my circle is really pulling for me. And they’re right there with me when I do have those hard days, and I still have hard days. But I feel a lot more at peace inside those ropes now.”
Murray also noted that there are days when he doesn’t “want to get out of bed.” He added, “I just thought I was a failure. I always looked at myself as a failure. I thought I had a lot of talent that was just a waste of talent. It was a bad place, but like I said, you have to have courage. You have to have the willingness to keep going. Lo and behold, that’s what I did, and I’m here, and I’m so blessed and I’m thankful.”
‘It’s OK to Not Be OK’
Murray noted that his mental health journey had impacted not only himself but those around him.
“My parents have been through hell and back basically for the last six years with me fighting some mental stuff,” he said in an Instagram video from the Korn Ferry Tour’s AdventHealth Championship in May 2023. “It’s not easy on me and the people around me that love me, they don’t like to see me down and they’ve been my number one supporters.”
While saying that “everyone has their battles,” Murray added that “sometimes people are able to hide them and function” whereas sometimes people aren’t.
“I think our society now is getting better about accepting that it’s OK to not be OK type deal and I’ve embraced that type mentality,” he said. “[I’m] not ashamed that I go through depression, anxiety. I know I’ve helped people out in the past just through my social media, people message me and that’s, I think, part of [what] I can use my platform to do to continue to help with things like that.”
Getting Help
Murray shared insight into his struggles in a July 2017 post via social media. “Everyone is battling their own battle every day. Some hide it well and some don’t. The first step to finding help is admitting you need it,” he wrote at the time. “Luckily I admitted I needed help for depression and anxiety a few years ago and it saved my life. It’s something I battle every day. It doesn’t go away, it will never go away but there are ways to control it.”
He continued: “Luckily I have formed a team around me that keeps me going everyday. I know setbacks are prone to happen but that’s the challenge I accept. Just to let everyone know I don’t usually post these posts but if you are or know someone struggling, I’m here to help.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
