Grayson Murray, and the emotional way a U.S. Open winner will remember him

“Grayson!” 

“Grayson!” 

“Grayson!” 

Finally, Grayson Murray turned toward the man.

Gary Woodland did too. He remembers it well. 

This week, they’re playing the Sony Open connected the PGA Tour, and everyplace location are memories of Murray, and everyone is recollecting. Four months earlier he took his ain life, he’d won the Sony, and the tributes person been emotional. Sony pin flags this week are adorned pinch red-and-black ribbons, the colors of Murray’s favourite NHL team, the Carolina Panthers. Earlier successful the week, location was a ceremony that included Murray’s parents, Eric and Terry. Pros person been asked for their thoughts. 

Woodland offered a story. 

The 2019 U.S. Open victor said he knew Murray, and that they’d been friendly. “Uber-talented kid, obviously,” Woodland said, “and he was a large lucky fan.” Woodland’s caddie, Brennan Little and Murray deed it disconnected talking pucks, actually. Their pairing together past May during the PGA Championship’s last information would nary uncertainty activity well.     

But shouting of Murray’s first sanction was reliable to ignore. Pros perceive each kinds of bellows astatine events, but the man persisted. 

“I thought possibly Grayson made him mad,” Woodland said he thought astatine first. “He was yelling,  ‘Grayson, Grayson,’ clip aft time, to a constituent wherever yet Grayson had to look. We were trying not to, and we were laughing astir it talking, and past Grayson looked. 

“And it was beautiful.”

Murray had been unfastened astir his intelligence health, particularly truthful aft his Sony win. The man astatine Valhalla Golf Club had listened. 

After getting Murray’s attention, he started to cry.  

“The feline collapsed down … and thanked Grayson for really unfastened he was astir his struggles and everything. The feline was sober now. He was getting into play because of Grayson. He heard Grayson’s story.

“Grayson was helping people, and I’ll ever retrieve that.”

That’s besides been a thought embraced by Woodland, who’s recovering from a room successful 2023 that removed a information of a lesion attached to his brain. Prior to that, the lesion had caused feelings of terrible fearfulness successful Woodland, to wherever he thought he was dying, and Woodland said this week while the process has helped, he’s still fighting.   

“It’s difficult to beryllium open, and it’s difficult to talk astir struggles,” Woodland said. “I opportunity that communicative astir Grayson because I’ve been very unfastened astir what I’ve been going through, and past twelvemonth wasn’t a bully twelvemonth for maine golf-wise, and it’s been difficult for maine to do things that I want to do, but I cognize that it’s had a affirmative effect connected different group because I’ve seen the messages; I’ve seen group travel up to maine erstwhile I’m playing.

“Not everyone has the support systems that a batch of america person retired here, and I’m very blessed to person a large squad astir me. There’s group battling and going done a batch of worldly that don’t person that.

“So I’ve been unfastened because I want group to cognize that are going done thing that’s difficult that you’re not unsocial successful this, that I’m retired present playing, I’m playing, surviving a dream, but I’m struggling, too. Like I said, I’m blessed to person group astir maine that tin thief me. Not everybody has that.”

Have group approached Woodland?

Several, he said. He’s listened to them, too. 

“I’ve had grown men travel up to maine crying that they’ve been battling encephalon tumors aliases battling stuff, and seeing maine retired present playing again gives them hope,” Woodland said. “I’m trying to do that. At the extremity of the day, I want to person a affirmative effect successful this world. I’d for illustration to person a affirmative effect connected myself playing golf, and I’d for illustration to person a affirmative effect connected my family.

“It was difficult for maine past twelvemonth until the past mates months erstwhile we figured immoderate stuff. It’s been difficult for maine to beryllium astir my kids. My kids person truthful overmuch energy, and my encephalon couldn’t guidelines it. My encephalon couldn’t support up. My mediocre woman has to explicate to my kids why Dad has to spell to the room because excessively overmuch power and excitement — my kids are afloat of life and Daddy can’t grip that.

“So I couldn’t beryllium the begetter I wanted to be. I couldn’t play the measurement I wanted to play. But my communicative and being capable to thief and talk astir it has helped me, and that’s 1 point that kept maine going because I wasn’t who I was trying to be, but I’m helping different group hopefully spell done thing that they’re battling with, and their stories kept maine going, arsenic well.”

Editor’s note: To donate to the Grayson Murray instauration that raises consciousness of intelligence wellness and addiction, please click here.