Grayson Murray, who finished at 17 under and got into a playoff at the Sony Open with an up and down from 78 yards on the 72nd hole, won that crazy playoff with a 39-foot birdie putt for his first PGA Tour victory in nearly seven years. Murray took the playoff over Keegan Bradley and Ben An, who missed a 4-foot putt that would have tied him.
The ending was improbable — getting up and down from 78 yards is unusual and making a 39-footer even more so — but the result, given the wilderness Murray has been in, is somewhat astonishing.Â
Murray’s best PGA Tour season came in 2016-17, his rookie year, and he finished 66th in the FedEx Cup standings. It’s the only time he’s finished inside the top 100 in the FedEx Cup; he’s bounced back and forth between the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA Tour since then.Murray struggled with life on the PGA Tour in his 20s. He was one of golf’s bad boys who often found himself in trouble because of things he said. In short, he was easy to dislike.Â
“My rookie year was 2017,” said Murray on Saturday. “I was young and thought I was invincible. Wasn’t doing the correct stuff off the course to really give myself the best chance to succeed out here.”
But Murray has also been open about his struggles with alcohol (he’s currently eight months sober) and his own mental health. His story might still be one that’s difficult to root for depending on where you’re sitting, but his transparency is at least admirable. And he says getting his life on track transformed his golf game.
“A lot of hard work pays off,” he told Golf Channel after the victory. “It’s not easy. I wanted to give up a lot of times. Give up on myself. Give up on the game of golf. Give up on life at times. You just persevere. When you get tired of fighting, let someone else fight for you. That’s what happened.”
It was a complete change of pace from the Murray of the past who was far more haughty and less humble.Â
The irony is that now he has some golf ahead to be proud of: A trip to the Players in March. A visit to the Masters in April. His 17-under score at Waialae Country Club is a career shifter. According to Murray, though, that’s all it is.
“I knew that today was not going to change my life,” he told Golf Channel. “My fiancée changed my life. Jesus Christ changed my life. Today was not going to change my life, but it did change my career a little bit. I’m excited.” Grade: A+
Here are the rest of our grades for the Sony Open.
T13. Eric Cole (-12): I came into the week believing that Cole was one of the five hottest players in the world. I’m not sure I still believe that because he kind of disappeared in the middle of this tournament, but he did put together his fifth consecutive top 20 finish with a nice 66 on Sunday that pushed him up the leaderboard. Cole struggled with his short game, which is normally a strength. Grade: B+
T31. Ludvig Aberg (-9): It was a disappointing Hawaii trip for the presumed superstar. After a T47 finish at Kapalua last week, Aberg came in as one of the favorites this week but could not crack the top 25. He did not drive it well either week, and this week that was mostly an accuracy issue at the compact Waialae course. There are zero long-term concerns, but it’s not the start he envisioned for 2024. Grade: C
MC. Gary Woodland (+2): Woodland did not make the cut, but after undergoing brain surgery in September, he was simply happy to be back playing golf. It was certainly the feel-good story of the week as Woodland expressed gratitude to everyone who has been encouraging him in his comeback to the sport.
“It’s been unbelievable,” he said. “Like I said, we’re out here competing against each other every week, and it’s been like a family. A lot of hugs. A lot of just well wishes, support from everyone. It’s been amazing. It just shows you that there is a lot of good people out here. And the fans were amazing, tournament staff, everyone. Media, you guys have been great. It’s great to be back.”
He also expressed some excitement about the future of his golf game after shooting 71-71 at Waialae. Woodland will next tee it up at Torrey Pines at the end of January.
“Focus was amazing,” said Woodland. “Best focus I’ve had in a year. Best energy I’ve in had in a year on a golf course. Obviously you never want to miss the cut, never want to be out of contention, but it was bigger for me this week than golf.
“Golf game was rusty. Saw a lot of good things, but I was rusty scoring-wise,” he continued. “The goal coming into this week was to see where I was mentally. It was beautiful. Really was. It was the best week that I’ve had on a golf course in a long, long time. Focus was there all week. Attitude was great. Energy was great. A lot to build on.” Grade: A+
MC. Will Zalatoris (+5): It was a tough week for Zalatoris, who made his first start since back surgery last year after the Masters. His first round was bad (a 76 with an untidy short game), but he rebounded with a 69 in the second round that looked better. Zalatoris gets plenty of benefit of the doubt here, though one thing to keep an eye on is the ball-striking. He’s truly one of the 10 best (maybe five best) ball-strikers in the world, but will that hold after surgery and a slightly adjusted swing? My guess in the long term is that it will. Still, he lost strokes in that area at the Sony, which is something that only happened in one PGA Tour event in 2022 or 2023. Grade: B