Introduction
Grayson Colby Murray (October 1, 1993 – May 25, 2024) was an American professional golfer.
Early life and career
In his youth career, Murray won three straight Callaway Junior Championships and was the top ranked golfer nationally in his age group. In high school, he won both a team and individual state title while competing for Leesville Road High School.
Murray attended Wake Forest University, East Carolina University, and Arizona State University. He played in the 2013 U.S. Open as an amateur.
Murray earned conditional status on the 2016 Web.com Tour by tying for 74th at Q School. A tie for tenth at the Rex Hospital Open in his native North Carolina, in which he competed on a sponsor exemption, gave him entry into the following tournament, where he tied for eighth and guaranteed himself full playing time for the rest of the season. He had four further top 10s, including a playoff loss at the Digital Ally Open, and finished 18th on the regular-season money list, earning a PGA Tour card for 2017.
On July 23, 2017, he earned his first PGA Tour victory by winning the Barbasol Championship.
Murray won twice on the Korn Ferry Tour during the 2023 season, winning the AdventHealth Championship and the Simmons Bank Open, the latter being a Korn Ferry Finals event. These results earned Murray a tour card for the 2024 PGA Tour season.
On January 14, 2024, he earned his second PGA Tour victory by winning the Sony Open in Hawaii in a playoff.
Personal life and death
In October 2022, Murray was severely injured in a scooter crash in Bermuda before the Butterfield Bermuda Championship leading to him withdrawing from the event.
Murray died on May 25, 2024, at the age of 30. He had withdrawn from the Charles Schwab Challenge the day before, citing an illness.
Amateur wins
- 2006 Callaway Junior World Golf Championship (Boys 11–12)
- 2007 Callaway Junior World Golf Championship (Boys 13–14)
- 2008 Callaway Junior World Golf Championship (Boys 13–14)
Professional wins (6)
PGA Tour wins (2)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jul 23, 2017 | Barbasol Championship | 67-64-64-68=263 | −21 | 1 stroke | Chad Collins |
| 2 | Jan 14, 2024 | Sony Open in Hawaii | 69-63-64-67=263 | −17 | Playoff | An Byeong-hun, Keegan Bradley |
PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2024 | Sony Open in Hawaii | An Byeong-hun, Keegan Bradley | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
Korn Ferry Tour wins (3)
| Legend |
|---|
Finals events (2) |
| Other Korn Ferry Tour (1) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 25, 2016 | Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship | 69-67-68-68=272 | −12 | 1 stroke | Cameron Smith |
| 2 | May 21, 2023 | AdventHealth Championship | 68-69-64-68=269 | −19 | 1 stroke | Wilson Furr, Rico Hoey |
| 3 | Sep 17, 2023 | Simmons Bank Open | 68-67-70-66=271 | −17 | 3 strokes | Mason Andersen, Carter Jenkins, Jamie Lovemark |
Korn Ferry Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2016 | Digital Ally Open | Wesley Bryan, J. T. Poston | Bryan won with birdie on second extra hole |
eGolf Professional Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | To par | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jul 11, 2015 | Imperial Headwear Southern Open | 63-64-64-63=254 | −26 | 7 strokes | Christian Brand |
Other wins (1)
- 2015 New Hampshire Open
Results in major championships
Results not in chronological order in 2020.
| Tournament | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | ||||||
| U.S. Open | CUT | |||||
| The Open Championship | ||||||
| PGA Championship | T22 |
| Tournament | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 51 | |||||
| PGA Championship | T43 | |||||
| U.S. Open | 63 | |||||
| The Open Championship | NT |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
NT = No tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Results in The Players Championship
| Tournament | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | T79 | T30 | CUT | C | T42 |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
C = Cancelled after the first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic
PGA Tour career summary
| Season | Starts | Cuts made | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-10 | Top-25 | Best finish | Earnings ($) | Money list rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2017 | 30 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 1,468,728 | 75 |
| 2018 | 22 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 1,056,628 | 112 |
| 2019 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | T12 | 125,511 | 217 |
| 2020 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | T10 | 244,150 | 179 |
| 2021 | 22 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | T3 | 255,130 | 190 |
| 2022 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | T13 | 218,304 | 198 |
| 2023 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | T6 | 437,066 | 182 |
| 2024 | 12 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2,471,532 | 37 |
| Career | 140 | 66 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 25 | 1 | 6,277,049 | 306 |
As of the 2024 season before his death.