PGA Tour golfer Grayson Murray passed away Saturday at the age of 30, a day after he withdrew from the Charles Schwab Cup Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.
Details on the circumstances of Murray’s death were not immediately available. He withdrew during the second round of the tournament, citing an illness.
“We were devastated to learn – and are heartbroken to share – that PGA TOUR player Grayson Murray passed away this morning,” PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement. “I am at a loss for words. 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.”
Monahan added that he offered condolences to Murray’s parents, who told him their son would have wanted the tournament to continue.
“As difficult as it will be, we want to respect their wishes,” Monahan said.
Born in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1993, Murray played collegiately at Wake Forest University, East Carolina University, and Arizona State University. He turned professional in 2015, and he picked up his first PGA Tour win at the Barbasol Championship in 2017.
Murray peaked at No. 46 in the Official World Golf Ranking after winning the Sony Open in Hawaii earlier this year. He birdied the 18th hole in the final round to force a playoff in that tournament and defeated Byeong Hun An and Keegan Bradley with a 40-foot birdie putt on the extra hole, claiming his second career PGA Tour victory. As of Sunday, he was No. 58.
Through 34 holes of the Charles Schwab Cup Challenge, Murray was 3 over par, having finished the first round 2 under and bogeying five holes on Friday. Davis Riley leads the tournament through three rounds at 14 under par, four shots ahead of Scottie Scheffler, who shot a 7-under-par 63 on Saturday.
