FORT WORTH, Texas — After Grayson Murray blasted the PGA Tour via social media in 2021, alleging he wasn't given enough support for his bouts with alcoholism and mental illness, Commissioner Jay Monahan said Saturday he had had lengthy discussions with the star player.
Murray died Saturday morning after withdrawing from the Charles Schwab Challenge on Friday. The cause of death was not made public.
In a 2021 post, Murray said his pleas were not answered during difficult times, particularly when he was at his lowest.
“The PGA Tour did not force me to drink, but they have never helped me. In my 5 years on Tour I have never had a request granted by the Commissioner or PAC other than 'we will get back to you.' I hope that not only will the PGA Tour step up in areas that need strengthening, but that people will do their part and hold themselves accountable,” wrote a tweet from Murray's account which has since been deleted.
After the post went viral, many players reached out to Murray, who became the second-youngest player ever to qualify for the Korn Ferry Tour at age 16.
And Monahan said he immediately spoke with Murray, who at the time had won just one tournament on the PGA Tour, the Barbasol Championship, and went on to win the 2024 Sony Open and become a three-time winner on the Korn Ferry Tour.
“When Grayson said that, I called him right away,” Monahan said Saturday at Colonial Country Club, having flown in from Tour headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. “You know, I've spent a lot of time with him over the last couple of years because, in his view, in his opinion, he wanted to understand what we could do to help everybody else here. We've made a lot of progress in that direction, and it's become a real focus and emphasis. We're very proud of the programs that we have in place to help our players, everyone here.”
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan prepares for a Golf Channel appearance at the Charles Schwab Challenge. Monahan flew in from Florida after learning of Grayson Murray's death. (Photo: Tim Schmidt/Golfweek)
“I'm devastated by Grayson's passing, but I really learned a lot from him, especially from my conversations with him last year. He was very open and candid with me. Most importantly, looking back, he talked about his interest in real estate and getting interested in things he wasn't interested in before. He talked about having peace in life. Going back to the Sony Open recording, I mean, all the things he was talking to a lot of people about after he won the Sony Open, it was an inspiration to me personally and an inspiration to me as a leader on this tour.”
Photos: PGA Tour winner Grayson Murray's journey
Murray had been dealing with an alcohol problem, but after months of sobriety, his victory at the Sony Open seemed like proof he'd conquered all his demons. When he sank a 40-foot birdie putt on the first hole of a playoff against Byung-Hun (Ben) Ahn and Keegan Bradley, Murray appeared to have realized all the potential he had shown as a brilliant amateur.
“My life is great right now. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I have a great fiancé. I have great parents. I have great nephews and brothers,” Murray said after his win in January. “All the people that are close to me in my life right now and that have been through the hardships with me, it's all a team effort. I'm not sitting here alone, I'm sitting here alone, but they're all a part of this victory.”
“I think this is just the beginning of something really special.”
Monahan acknowledged having lengthy discussions with Murray on Saturday, with a desire to provide as many resources as possible for players, especially considering how isolating PGA Tour life has consistently been.
Looking back, he hopes Murray will be remembered as one of the pioneers in that field, the player who pushed the tour to place an emphasis on mental health.
“I want to be very clear, we do not know the circumstances surrounding Grayson's death,” Monahan said. “As I've spoken to Grayson about before, in the mental health field, we always strive to be on the front lines of providing as much support as we can to everyone here.
“Listen, these are the best athletes in the world. They think they're — you know, invincible in a lot of ways. And one of the things I think back on about Grayson's openness — in terms of courage, he gave us all a lesson in that regard.”
“And that's something I'll never forget.”
