30-Year-Old Professional Golfer Grayson Murray Dies Suddenly After Withdrawing from Charles Schwab Challenge
Two-time PGA Tour winner Grayson Murray passed away suddenly on Saturday morning, the PGA Tour confirmed.
The news comes just 24 hours after Murray withdrew from the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas, during his second round on Friday due to illness.
Grayson Murray (illness) WD during the second round of the Charles Schwab Challenge.
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) May 24, 2024
In a statement released by the PGA Tour on Saturday, Commissioner Jay Monahan expressed deep sorrow over Murray’s unexpected death. The details surrounding Murray’s passing were not disclosed in the press release.
Read the full statement from the PGA Tour:
“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. “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,” Commissioner Monahan continued. “They were adamant that Grayson would want us to do so. As difficult as it will be, we want to respect their wishes.”
Grief counselors will be available at the venues for this week’s PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour events. Commissioner Monahan is en route to the Charles Schwab Challenge, as well, and said more information will be shared when it is available.
Murray, 30, was a standout golfer from his youth. He won three consecutive Callaway Junior World Championships (2006-08) and was the 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. After stints at Wake Forest University, East Carolina University and Arizona State University, 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.
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.
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 sudden death. 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.
At the time of his death, Murray was ranked No. 58 in the world, having previously reached as high as No. 46 in the world golf rankings.
Here is a video of Grayson Murray, who won his second PGA TOUR title at this year’s Sony Open in Hawaii.
You probably never heard of Grayson Murray but you will in the future. A former Alcoholic who was nice put on probation by #PGATour won today at Sony Open in Hawaii. 39 foot birdie in a playoff pic.twitter.com/GxEPvY0fsa
— Bob Pompeani (@KDPomp) January 15, 2024
The cause of his death remains unknown at this time.
In 2021, Grayson Murray expressed skepticism regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. His views came amid ongoing debates about the necessity and safety of vaccination.
The News & Observer reported:
“Personally I’m not into the scare of the whole thing,” he said. “That’s my take on it. Now that the vaccine is out, people are going to get it. If they choose not to get it, that’s fine.
“I think eventually the tour is going to going to put it on us to go get our own (COVID-19) test and pay for our own test, which would be a pain. That’s their way of saying you’ll have to go get yours (vaccine). I don’t want to but I have family members who have.”
Why his opposition to taking the vaccine?“Technically it’s not FDA approved,” Murray said. “Last time I checked it wasn’t. I don’t know what people’s complications from it will be years from now. I’ll do it when it’s FDA approved. I’ve already had (COVID-19). I’m not going to die from it. If it makes my life easier out here I’m pretty much forced to do it. That’s pretty much what the tour’s doing, which I don’t agree with. … If 60 or 70 percent of the guys out here are vaccinated I don’t think there’s any issue. …
“I think at some point we’re all just over it and we’re ready to get back to normal life. It took longer than it should have, to be honest. … I feel bad for those businesses who shut down because of who their governor is or who was in charge of allowing the states to open up. I have my political view and I’m very open about it, but I also respect everybody’s opinion about it.”
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