Terry and Eric Murray, the parents of late professional golfer Grayson Murray, revealed in an interview with “Today” that they suggested to their son that he should leave the PGA Tour after he broke down while visiting them.
Murray tragically took his own life on May 25, 2024, shocking and saddening the golf world.
The 30-year-old battled addiction to alcohol and gambling, and also dealt with anxiety and depression, but seemed to have turned a corner following his victory 2024 Sony Open in Hawaii.
Still, Terry and Eric explained in the interwivew that Murray was feeling the pressures behind the scenes that come with the highs and lows of his profession.
“He would put on a happy face out on the road. Our house became his safe haven. If he was depressed, he would go in his room and he wouldn’t come out for two and three days,” Terry said.
During one visit to his parents’ home, Murray broke down and Eric described an emotional scene where the two were sitting on the sofa, both crying.
“I was holding him like a baby,” Eric said.”He was talking about how hard it was physically and emotionally to keep doing what he’s doing.”
Eric suggested that Murray step away from the Tour to focus on his mental health, but the pro’s love of golf was too much for him to stop.
“I actually asked him to do that,” Eric said. “But Grayson loved golf, and there’s no place on Earth that he was happier than on the golf course. But at the same time, it was very difficult.”
Murray’s death hit the golf world hard.
PGA golfer Peter Malnati broke down in tears while speaking with CBS Sports following his death and two-time Tour winner Akshay Bhatia described Murray as a “great friend that always supported me” in a post on Instagram.
Eric and Terry have heard even more stories about their son since his death, including one about Murray buying a car for a family of a child with cancer that he met after learning the parents had transportation issues.
“He used to tell me, ‘If I can just help one person, that it was worth it,’” Eric said.
Eric and Terry have since founded the Grayson Murray Foundation to help raise awareness and support for mental health and addiction.
The idea, Eric and Terry said, was one born from writings they had found in a journal that Murray had kept outlining his desire to help those struggling with mental health through a foundation he wanted to set up.
“I think he would be proud that we’re trying to carry on what he just didn’t have time himself to follow through with,” Terry said.