A Look Back At Grayson Murray's Life: PGA Career, Mental Health Struggles, & Tragic Death

PGA Tour star Grayson Murray passed away after he took his own life on Saturday, May 25. The tragedy comes after years of struggling with depression and alcoholism for years.

But who was Grayson Murray? Let's look back at his career, mental health advocacy, and other accomplishments the golf star had.

Murray had a love and passion for gold ever since his childhood.

According to the PGA Tour, he won three consecutive Callaway Junior World Championships (2006-2008) and was the top-ranked golfer in his age group.

At age 16, he made his first cut on the Korn Ferry Tour, becoming the second-youngest player ever to achieve this milestone, but his breakthrough came in 2016 when he received a sponsor exemption for a Korn Ferry Tour event near his hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina.

Finishing inside the top 10 at the Rex Hospital Open qualified him for another start, leading to another top 10 finish at the BMW Charity Pro-Am, which propelled his professional career forward.

After winning the 2024 Sony Open, Murray revealed he had been sober since early 2023 after battling anxiety, depression, and alcohol abuse.

"Yes, I would drink during tournament weeks," Murray said after his Sony Open win, per CBS. "It was my outlet. I thought I was invincible coming out here as a 22-year-old, winning as a rookie, played three days hungover when I won. Best thing and worst thing that ever happened to me was winning my rookie year -- but also feeling like I was invincible."

"It took me a long time to get to this point," he added. "… I'm a different man now. I would not be in this position right now today if I didn't put that drink down eight months ago."

Part of the reason why he decided to get sober was after a near-death experience, resulting in Murray needing 50 stitches.

“I should have died,” he said of a motorcycle crash where he hit oncoming traffic and required 50 stitches. “If I didn’t have my helmet on, I probably would have died. It should have been my rock bottom, but I had to keep going. I felt like I was still invincible," he said.

"Yeah, I did go to rehab for a month. It was by choice. It was time. The Lord was looking out for me then, and he's definitely looking out for me now," he continued. "My story is not finished. I think it's just beginning. I hope I can inspire a lot of people going forward that have their own issues."

Before his Sony Open win, Murray opened up about his mental health struggles. “My parents have been through hell and back basically for the last six years with me fighting some mental stuff,” he said in 2023. “And 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 No. 1 supporters.”

“Everyone has their battles. And sometimes people are able to hide them and function, and sometimes you’re not. I think our society now is getting better about accepting that, you know, it’s OK to not be OK,” he added.

“I’m not ashamed that I go through depression and anxiety,” the golfer continued. “I know I’ve helped people out in the past just through my social media DMs – people messaging me – and I can use my platform to continue to help with things like that.”

The PGA star let down his walls again when he admitted, "There are days where I didn’t want to get out of bed. 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," he said, per Golf Monthly. "It was a bad place, but like I said, you have to have courage,” Murray continued. “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.”

“Yeah, obviously I struggle with anxiety, I struggle with depression. That stemmed a lot from the alcohol use. I struggle with comparing myself to others, self-esteem. There’s a lot of issues that – I call them issues. I think they’re common issues that we all endure,” he concluded.

On Saturday, May 25, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan released a statement announcing Murray's death.

"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," he 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," he added. "They were adamant that Grayson would want us to do so. As difficult as it will be, we want to respect their wishes."

He concluded, "The PGA TOUR has grief counselors available at both tournament sites, as well as virtually for those not in the field. I am en route to Ft. Worth and will share more information when we can."

The Murray family later confirmed that the PGA star died by suicide.

"We have spent the last 24 hours trying to come to terms with the fact that our son is gone. It's surreal that we not only have to admit it to ourselves, but that we also have to acknowledge it to the world. It's a nightmare," the family said in a statement. "We have so many questions that have no answers."

"But one, Was Grayson loved? Yes. By us, his brother Cameron, his sister Erica, all of his extended family, by his friends, by his fellow players and – it seems – by many of you who are reading this. He was loved and he will be missed," they added.