GOLF
Reactions from the golfing community to the death of Grayson Murray: Luke Donald, Bubba Watson...
The American PGA Tour golfer was forced to withdraw from the Charles Schwab Challenge due to illness and tragically passed away on Saturday.
The world of golf is in mourning this weekend after the death of PGA Tour player Grayson Murray. The 30-year-old withdrew from the Charles Schwab Challenge on Friday citing an illness and died on Saturday morning.
Murray had been a professional golfer since 2015 and had picked up seven tournament wins in his career. He had risen to 46 in the PGA Tour rankings earlier this year.
When Murray’s death was announced on Saturday PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan wrote: “The PGA Tour is a family, and when you lose a member of your family, you are never the same. There is nothing we can do but mourn Grayson and pray for comfort for his loved ones.”
Tributes pour in for Grayson Murray
Monahan’s words were far from the only tribute to Murray from the sports world. Murray’s caddie, Jay Green, issued a statement to the Gold Channel in which he wrote touchingly about his friend.
“Grayson was the absolute best. Not only was he an incredible, thoughtful and generous boss, he was an even better friend... He truly would do anything for anyone. He has the best family, and my heart goes out to them. We will all miss him deeply.”
Fellow golfer and Masters Tournament winner Bubba Watson said of the news: “Very sad to hear the news of Grayson Murray’s passing today. Life is so fragile... I was just hugging you at the Masters, telling you how proud of you I am. Thankful to have known you.”
Englishman Luke Donald also paid tribute to Murrary in a message posted on social media on Saturday. Donald wrote: “Truly devastating news that Grayson Murray has passed away. He asked me for some advice on how to play Augusta a few months ago, last week I saw him at the PGA Championship, life truly is precious.”
Former PGA Tour No. 1 Justin Thomas was also among those who issued messages of sympathy to Murray’s family in the aftermath of his tragic death. Thomas said: “Speechless to hear about Grayson. Guy had been through so many ups and downs to get where he was. I hurt so much for his family and the people closest to him. My condolences and deepest sympathies.”