Bubba Watson remembers emotional Masters moment with Grayson Murray

Grayson Murray’s family, PGA Tour issue statements on death

Grayson Murray’s parents, Eric and Terry Murray, announced via a statement Sunday that their son died by suicide on Saturday.

“We have spent the last 24 hours trying to come to terms with the fact that our son is gone,” they said. “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.

“… Life wasn’t always easy for Grayson, and although he took his own life, we know he rests peacefully now.”

Murray’s parents, as well as Jay Monahan, said Murray was a beloved person and PGA Tour player.

“We were devastated to learn – and are heartbroken to share – that PGA TOUR player Grayson Murray passed away this morning. I am at a loss for words,” Monahan said. “The PGA TOUR is a family, and when you lose a member of your family, you are never the same. We mourn Grayson and pray for comfort for his loved ones.

“I reached out to Grayson’s parents to offer our deepest condolences, and during that conversation, they asked that we continue with tournament play,” Commissioner Monahan continued. “They were adamant that Grayson would want us to do so. As difficult as it will be, we want to respect their wishes.”

Monahan said the grief many of the players at this weekend’s tournament are dealing with is evident. Grief counselors have been deployed to the tournament sites and are available virtually for players struggling with Murray’s death.

“There’s a brotherhood out here,” Monahan said. “There’s a family out here. And I just wanted to be here for our players, our caddies, our families that are here. This is a close-knit community out on the PGA Tour, and to be in the locker room and to see the devastation on the faces of every player that’s coming in is really difficult to see and really just profound.”

Many other PGA Tour players commented on Murray’s death, including Peter Malnati, who, along with Adam Schenk, played alongside Murray in his final days.

“I didn’t know Grayson all that well, but I spent the last two days with him,” Malnati said in an emotional interview with CBS Sports. “It’s funny, we get so worked up out here about a bad break here or a good break there. We’re so competitive. We’re so competitive out here. We all want to beat each other. Then something like this happens, and you realize, ‘We’re all just humans.’

“It’s a really hard day because you look at Grayson and you see someone who has visibly, outwardly struggled in the past, and he’s been open about it. And you see him get his life back to a place where he’s feeling good about things. It’s just so sad. I was with him yesterday. He’s playing great! His game is so good! He’s so good at golf.

“It’s a huge loss for all of us on the PGA Tour, it’s a huge loss for our fans. In a time like this you realize that as much as we want to beat each other and as much as we want to be competitive, we’re one big family. And we lost one today, and that’s terrible.”