Learning of the death of a professional athete is always a shock; learning of the death of a professional athlete at the age of 30 is exponentially more so. This Saturday, ESPN shared the sad news that professional golfer Grayson Murray has died, a day after he withdrew from this year’s Charles Schwab Challenge. Murray’s golf career includes winning two PGA Tour events — 2017’s Barbasol Championship and this year’s Sony Open in Hawaii.
“The PGA Tour is a family, and when you lose a member of your family, you are never the same,” said PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan. “We mourn Grayson and pray for comfort for his loved ones.”
Later, Monahan discussed Murray’s passing on CBS’s broadcast of this weekend’s tournament. “Grayson was a remarkable player on the PGA Tour, but he was a very courageous man, as well,” Monahan said. “And I’ve always loved that about him, and I know that the locker room is filled with people that really will take that away when they think about Grayson.”
As the news spread, impromptu tributes to Murray could be found both on coverage of the Charles Schwab Challenge and on social media.
Golf’s Real-Life Jerry Maguire Tells All
When Tiger Woods won the Masters at the age of 21, Hughes Norton was his agentMurray first came to prominence as a youth golfer, which included winning the Callaway Junior Championships three times. As ESPN reported, he was currently ranked 58th in the world and recently joined the PGA Tour’s Player Advisory Council.
UPDATE: On Sunday, the PGA Tour released a statement from Murray’s family.
“We would like to thank the PGA Tour and the entire world of golf for the outpouring of support. Life wasn’t always easy for Grayson, and although he took his own life, we know he rests peacefully now,” his parents wrote. “Please respect our privacy as we work through this incredible tragedy, and please honor Grayson by being kind to one another. If that becomes his legacy, we could ask for nothing else.”
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