American Pro Golfer Is Dead at 30

Grayson Murray, a pro golfer who had been brutally honest about his struggles with alcohol and depression, has died at age 30. The PGA announced the stunning news on Saturday, one day after Murray abruptly pulled out of the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas, reports CBS Sports. His parents said Sunday that their son took his own life, per the AP. To honor him, Eric and Terry Murray asked in a statement that people be kind to one another. "If that becomes his legacy, we could ask for nothing else," they said.

• Two-time winner: Murray won the Sony Open in Hawaii in January, reaching a career-high 46th ranking in the world, per the New York Times. He also won the 2017 Barbasol Championship.
• Troubles: The early tour win was fraught. "Best thing and worst thing that ever happened to me was winning my rookie year, but also feeling like I was invincible," he said in January, after winning in Hawaii. "I'm a different man now, and I would not be in this position right now, today, if I didn't put that drink down eight months ago." A low point came in 2021, when an incident in a bar led to a PGA suspension. Murray at the time wrote that he was an "alcoholic that hates everything to do with the PGA Tour life and that's my scapegoat."
• Turnaround: Golf.com detailed at the time how Murray had seemingly turned his life around with the Hawaii win. "It's not easy," he said at the time, per the New York Post. "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." He credited his fiancee and a newfound religious faith for his turnaround.
• Emotional: Fellow golfer Peter Malnati, who played with Murray on Friday, broke down on camera when talking about him. "You know, we're so competitive, so competitive out here," he told CBS, per People. "We all want to beat each other. And then something like this happens and you realize we're all just humans."

(If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.)