Grayson Murray’s parents have urged people to be “kind to one another” following the death of their son, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour.
Murray withdrew from the Charles Schwab Challenge with two holes remaining of Friday’s second round and died on Saturday morning at the age of 30.
“We have spent the last 24 hours trying to come to terms with the fact that our son is gone,” Eric and Terry Murray said in a statement released on their behalf by the PGA Tour.
“It’s surreal that we not only have to admit it to ourselves, but that we also have to acknowledge it to the world. It’s a nightmare.
“We have so many questions that have no answers. But one.
“Was Grayson loved? The answer is yes. By us, his brother Cameron, his sister Erica, all of his extended family, by his friends, by his fellow players and – it seems – by many of you who are reading this. He was loved and he will be missed.
“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.
“Please respect our privacy as we work through this incredible tragedy, and please honour Grayson by being kind to one another. If that becomes his legacy, we could ask for nothing else. Thank you.”
World number one Scottie Scheffler had earlier led the tributes to Murray, who won the Barbasol Championship in 2017 and the Sony Open in January.
“Obviously, the news hasn’t really sunk in quite yet, but I’m thinking about his family and praying hard for all of them,” Scheffler said.
“I can’t imagine how difficult of a time this is. I got to know Grayson a bit better over the last six months or so.
“There’s not really a way to put into words how sad and tragic it is, but I’m thinking about his family.”
Murray had been open about his battles with anxiety and depression and revealed in January that he had sought treatment in the past few years for alcohol abuse but had been sober for several months.
Three years ago he posted on social media he felt the Tour did not do enough to assist players who dealt with illnesses such as his.
“When Grayson said that, I called him right away,” PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said on Saturday.
“Over the last several years I spent a lot of time with him because I wanted to understand what we could do, in his opinion, to help everybody else out here.
“I’m devastated by Grayson’s loss. The conversations I had with him, particularly the last year, I learned an awful lot from him. He was very open and transparent with me.
“We don’t know the circumstances around Grayson’s passing. My conversations with Grayson in the area of mental health… we’re always challenging ourselves to make certain that we’re on the front edge of being able to provide the support that we can for everybody out here.
“These are some of the best athletes in the world. They think they’re, in many respects, invincible.
“One of the things I think back about Grayson’s openness is he taught us all a lesson on that front and that’s something I’ll never forget.”
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