Dozens of golfers gathered on Tuesday for a solemn celebration of the life of Grayson Murray.
“All of us at the PGA Tour carry a heavy heart and will for a long time to come,” PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said, his voice cracking at times. “When you lose a family member, you can never quite put all the pieces back together.”
The 30-year-old had struggled with alcoholism and depression but had recently spoken about becoming sober, getting engaged and his optimism for the future. He took his own life last month, a day after withdrawing from the Charles Schwab Challenge.
The ceremony took place in a garden area at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Ohio. Murray’s parents, siblings and fiancée were not present at the ceremony but dozens of his fellow professionals were in attendance.
Among those who spoke at the ceremony was Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, who came to know Murray better in the early part of the year, as Murray was trying to get his fiancée more involved with some of the players’ wives.
Scheffler spoke about played a nine-hole practice round they played at The Players Championship.
“The look on his face when I gave him $100 on the ninth green is something I’ll remember for a long time because you couldn’t wipe that smile off his face,” Scheffler said. “Without a doubt, he loved being out here inside the ropes.”
Scheffler referred to Murray as a “sweet man” on more than one occasion, and he was weeping when he walked away from the podium, then buried his head in his wife’s shoulder.
Murray’s death was a shock to those on the PGA Tour. He was a prodigious talent as a junior, and won the Barbasol Championship in Kentucky as a rookie even as he struggled with alcoholism and anxiety.
Monahan had worked with Murray away from the course. This week marks one year since the PGA Tour made a deal with the Saudi backers of LIV Golf. Murray was front and center at a player meeting the afternoon and criticized Monahan for making the deal without informing players. Monahan a week later temporarily stepped away from his duties with anxiety-induced physical and mental issues. During the time away, Monahan turned off his phone for a month.
“We had a player meeting in Canada that all of you know was intense and heated. Grayson and others were extremely vocal about their displeasure about my decision to keep the membership in the heart. The criticism, it was 100% warranted,” Monahan said on Tuesday.
He said when he finally turned his phone back on during his leave, one of the first text messages he saw was from Murray.
“A line in that text will always stay with me – ‘Jay I just want you to get healthy. I know everything is doing to work out for our tour and for the better,’” Monahan said. “He offered not condemnation but compassion. Instead of walking away from me, he offered to walk with me. I’ll always be thankful for this act of kindness, and I’m not alone.”
Monahan said similar stories were shared in a private service for Murray and his family on Monday.
“I can only offer the assurance that Grayson’s memory will serve as a continual reminder that the PGA Tour is a brotherhood that transcends competition,” Monahan said. “And our foremost responsibility is to care for each other and be kind. I can’t imagine a prouder legacy.”
In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org.