The family of Grayson Murray has launched a foundation to honour the late PGA Tour player, coinciding with the one-year anniversary of one of Murray’s greatest triumphs. Murray passed away on May 25, 2024 after his experiences with anxiety and depression led him to take his own life. Murray was a two-time PGA Tour winner and made 140 starts on the tour, and punctuated a career comeback in 2023 and 2024 by capturing the Sony Open. He went into Sunday with the 54-hole lead and birdied the 18th hole twice—the first to enter a playoff against Keegan Bradley and Ben An, the second off a 40-footer to win the Hawaii event.
Murray was a complex man yet possessed a generosity of spirit that few glimpsed, with family and friends sharing tales of all the lives he quietly touched following his death.
“He would not put up with bullies,” Austin Smith told Golf Digest in a Murray profile last November. “You could be his buddy or a complete stranger. If he saw someone treated the wrong way, he would make it right.”
The mission of the foundation is to raise awareness and support of mental health and addiction challenges faced by individuals from all walks of life. The foundation aims to create a noticeable impact on mental health and addiction care by supporting innovative research, expanding access to essential services and fostering a culture of understanding inspired by Murray’s legacy of compassion, resilience and hope.
“Grayson touched the hearts of so many by sharing his own mental health challenges,” said Grayson’s parents, Eric and Terry Murray. “He utilized his platform as a multi-time champion on the PGA Tour to reach and inspire those in need—and we are determined to continue his generosity and unwavering commitment to help make a difference in the lives of others.”
Added foundation president Jeff Maness: “Grayson envisioned creating a foundation dedicated to ‘helping the ones that want to be helped but might not have the help they need financially.’ As Grayson bravely faced his own experiences with depression and addiction, he witnessed first-hand the challenges that greet those who seek help, both financially and from an accessibility standpoint. Grayson was intent on using his position as a PGA Tour player to help others, and through the Grayson Murray Foundation, we honour him as we carry forward his mission.”
The foundation is launching this week at the Sony Open, and Murray’s family will be on site at the tournament. On Tuesday morning, the family will join players, caddies and staff for a traditional Hawaiian Celebration of Life service on the beach at No. 16 at Waialae. Pin flags will have red/black ribbons in honor of Murray’s love of the Carolina Hurricanes.
If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please call the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the United States at 988 or visit their website at 988lifeline.org.
Main Image: Andrew Redington
