Grayson Murray, PGA Tour winner, dies at 30

twice PGA Tour winner Grayson Murray died on Saturday morning at the age of 30, a day after he withdrew from the Charles Schwab Cup Challenge at Colony.

There were no immediate details on the circumstances of his death, only shock and sadness PGA Tour and his management team.

“I’m at a loss for words,” PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said. “The PGA Tour is a family, and when you lose someone in your family, you’re never the same. We offer our condolences to Grayson and pray for comfort for his loved ones.

His management company, GSE Worldwide, confirmed the death and said it was of a broken heart.

“We will withhold comment until further details are known, but our hearts go out to his family, his friends and all those who loved him at this difficult time,” GSE said in a statement.

Monahan said he spoke with Murray’s parents to express their condolences, and they asked that the matches continue in Fort Worth, Texas.

He said grief counselors will be on site at the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour event in Knoxville, Tennessee. Monahan went to Texas and then appeared on CBS as the third round ended.

“It’s very difficult and very profound to see the devastation on each player’s face,” Monahan said. “Grayson is a remarkable player, but he’s also a very courageous man. That’s what I’ve always loved about him.”

Murray, who has dealt with alcohol and mental health issues in the past, has made a major turnaround this year Sony won the OpenHe won it with a 40-foot putt and a 3-foot wedge for birdie on the final hole to enter the playoff.

He also won the Barbazol Championship in 2017.

“It’s a big shock. My heart just sank,” said Webb Simpson, who learned of Murray’s death shortly before moving to Colonial. Murray was his first junior tournament winner and shared the same swing coach as juniors.

“I hate it so much,” Simpson said. “I’m going to miss him. I’m grateful that he was there with faith before this morning’s incident.

Murray was ranked 58th in the world last week, up from 43rd at the PGA Championship at Valhalla. He tied for 51st in his Masters debut and is in the field for the US Open next month at Pinehurst No. 2.

Raised in North Carolina, Murray is one of the nation’s most talented juniors. He won the prestigious Junior World Championship three years in San Diego and earned an Arnold Palmer Scholarship at Wake Forest.

He attended three colleges, most recently at Arizona State, where he won the Barbasol Championship as a 22-year-old PGA Tour rookie.

In January, Murray said he had been sober for eight months, had gotten engaged, had become a Christian and felt his best golf was ahead of him. He was appointed to the 16-member Player Advisory Board.

“My story is not over. I think it’s just the beginning,” Murray said in Hawaii. “I hope I can encourage many people who have their own issues to come forward.”

Murray said he drank alcohol as a rookie in the weeks of competition because he felt he had the talent and that he was invincible. He drew attention through social media, openly criticizing other players and engaging in a social media feud with Kevin Nau over his reputation as a slow player.

But he felt turned around when he sought help — letting others fight for him, he explained this year.

“It took me a long time to get to this point,” Murray said in January. “That was seven years ago, seven years ago. I am a different person now. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t put that drink down eight months ago.

Peter Malnati played at Colony with Murray. He volunteered to go on the CBS broadcast Saturday afternoon and immediately tried to talk him out of it.

“It’s a big loss for all of us on the PGA Tour,” Malnati said. “As much as we like to beat each other up, we’re one big family and we’ve lost a family today. It’s terrible.

___

This story has been corrected to show that Murray won the Barbazol Championship in 2017, not last year.

___

AP Golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf