'NOT ASHAMED'
PGA golfer Grayson Murray, 30, opened up about mental health battle before his death telling fans ‘It’s ok not to be ok’
Murray's openness around mental health helped to create a better player support system in golf, say the PGA
GOLF ace and two-time PGA Tour winner Grayson Murray bravely opened up about his mental struggles before his tragic death aged 30.
Murray spoke candidly about his depression, anxiety and alcoholism issues throughout his career as he once told fans "it's ok not to be ok".
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Tributes have poured in for the beloved golf star since the North Carolina native passed away on Saturday just a day after he pulled out of the PGA Charles Schwab Challenge in Texas.
Murray told playing partners in Texas he was feeling unwell before pulling out of the Texas event with just two holes left to play.
Murray's cause of death is not yet known.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan announced the shocking news saying Murray's openness around mental health helped to create a better player support system in golf.
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Murray had been an advocate of mental health throughout the final few years of his life as he opened up on his battles with depression, anxiety and alcoholism several times.
He said: “Everyone has their battles. And sometimes people are able to hide them and function, and sometimes you’re not.
"I think our society now is getting better about accepting that, you know, it’s ok to not be ok.
“I'm not ashamed that I go through depression and anxiety."
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Despite being a two-time PGA Tour winner, Murray admitted last year that he has viewed his golfing career as a "failure".
Even after reaching an impressive career-high 46th in the Official World Golf Rankings the sportsman still said at times he saw himself as a "waste of talent".
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These emotions and personal strife made Murray turn to alcohol which he said soon made everything tougher.
"I struggle with anxiety, I struggle with depression. That stemmed a lot from the alcohol use," he told .
"I struggle with comparing myself to others, self-esteem. There's a lot of issues. I think they're common issues we all endure.
"But like I said, you have to have courage. You have to have the willingness to keep going."
One of the things I think back about Grayson’s openness is he taught us all a lesson on that front and that’s something I’ll never forget
Jay Monahan
Murray said back in January that he was eight months sober after taking himself to rehab
Grayson has previously been praised by PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan for his openness around his mental health battles.
Monahan said: “I’m devastated by Grayson’s loss.
"The conversations I had with him, particularly the last year, I learned an awful lot from him. He was very open and transparent with me.
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“Over the last several years I spent a lot of time with him because I wanted to understand what we could do, in his opinion, to help everybody else out here.
“One of the things I think back about Grayson’s openness is he taught us all a lesson on that front and that’s something I’ll never forget.”
He added that the PGA is constantly striving to be on the "front edge" of providing player support.
The golf ace always praised his support network, mainly made up of his fiance Christiana, loving parents and golfing buddies for getting him through his hardest of times.
Grayson was the absolute best. Not only was he an incredible, thoughtful and generous boss, he was an even better friend
Jay Green
He said at the start of the year: "When everyone in my circle is just really pulling for me and they're right there with me when I do have those hard days, I feel a lot more at peace inside the ropes now."
He was reportedly due to marry his fiancee, Christiana, in the Spring.
He first took part in the US Open as an amateur in 2013 and within just four years he won the Barbasol Championship in his first PGA tour victory.
Then in January of this year he earned his second - winning the Sony Open in Hawaii.
His last major event was at the Masters Tournament this year where he finished 51st.
TRIBUTES FLOODING IN
World number one Scottie Scheffler led the tributes for the golf star saying he was "thinking about his family and praying hard for all of them".
“I can’t imagine how difficult of a time this is. I got to know Grayson a bit better over the last six months or so," he continued.
“There’s not really a way to put into words how sad and tragic it is, but I’m thinking about his family.”
The PGA published a detailed post online following Murray's passing.
They described him as: " a standout golfer from his youth".
Detailing his achievements, they listed his impressive tours, event wins and victories over a span of almost 20 years.
Golf journalist Brentley Romine also said Jay Green - Murray's caddie - shared a heartfelt tribute via text after news of Murray's death broke.
He said: ";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."
Golfer Luke Donald also paid tribute to the 30-year-old, writing: "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.
"My condolences and prayers to his whole family that they may find some peace."
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Fellow athlete Bubba Watson later said "life is so fragile".
He left a touching message remembering when the pair shared a hug and some loving words of encouragement at The Masters last month.
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.
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