(Gray News) – The parents of professional golfer Grayson Murray said the two-time PGA Tour winner died by suicide.
Murray, 30, died Saturday morning, a day after he withdrew from the Charles Schwab Cup Challenge at Colonial.
The PGA Tour and his management company GSE Worldwide confirmed Murray’s death Saturday.
On Sunday, his parents released a statement and said he died by suicide.
“We have spent the last 24 hours trying to come to terms with the fact that our son is gone,” Eric and Terry Murray said in a statement. “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.”
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said grief counselors would be on-site at the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour event in Knoxville, Tennessee.
“To see the devastation on the faces of every player coming in is really difficult to see and really just profound,” Monahan said. “Grayson was a remarkable player, but he was a very courageous man. I’ve always loved that about him.”
Murray had dealt with alcohol and mental health issues in the past but made a massive turnaround this year and won the Sony Open.
He also won the Barbasol Championship in 2017.
Murray was No. 58 in the world rankings coming off a tie for 43rd in the PGA Championship last week at Valhalla. He also made the cut in his Masters debut, finishing 51st, and was in the field for the U.S. Open next month at Pinehurst No. 2.
Murray said in January that he had been sober for eight months, was engaged to be married, had become a Christian and felt his best golf was ahead of him. He was appointed to the 16-member Player Advisory Council.
“My story is not finished. I think it’s just beginning,” Murray said in Hawaii. “I hope I can inspire a lot of people going forward that have their own issues.”
This story includes a discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org.
Copyright 2024 Gray Media Group, Inc. Associated Press contributed to this story. All rights reserved.