IN MEMORY OF GRAYSON MURRAY
By: Jack Guyler
Unless you follow sports, and particularly professional golf, you may not recognize the name Grayson Murray. My dad introduced me to golf when I was a kid, and I enjoyed many years playing with him. I played golf in high school and college and have met many people and spent many wonderful hours on the course either competing or just playing for fun. I started my own son playing when he was about two years old. We have enjoyed many rounds of golf together and we still enjoy playing. However, as much fun as golf is, it was a very sad day in the game of golf on May 25, 2024.
It has been reported that Grayson Murray took his own life by intentional carbon monoxide poisoning. Here is what is striking about his story. We tend to think that people who struggle with mental or emotional health challenges are usually in bad situations or persons of lower income with little opportunity for relief or help. But Grayson, when you look at him, looked like the picture of health. He was young, only 30 years old. He was a professional golfer at the highest level, competing on the PGA Tour. He had just won the Sony Open in Hawaii in January that not only provided millions in prize money, but qualified him to play in most of the big tournaments this year, including the Masters. He lived in beautiful Palm Beach Gardens, Florida in a $800,000 home. In addition, he had loving and supportive parents and was engaged to be married to his fiancée, Christiana, whom he applauded for her support and love of him.
Yet in the midst of all of this glory, with seemingly everything to live for, he withdrew from the PGA Tour tournament in Texas on a Friday and flew back to his home in Florida and the next day took his own life. How could this happen? Well, despite Grayson having such great family support from the time he was a young child, and having great success and notoriety in golf since he was a junior player (winning three junior world championships), he struggled for many years with severe depression and alcohol. He often had trouble getting out of bed and labeled himself a failure despite being a great junior golfer. He had been open about his battles, but this past year, and he especially gave thanks to Christiana and his family, he had a real resurgence in his career. He had gotten sober and had told people he had a lot to live for and was looking forward to getting married.
How could this happen to a young man in the prime of his life with so much to live for? I’m not sure we will ever have the full answer to that question. I can’t help but think what his parents, his siblings and Christiana must be feeling right now. I can’t imagine their broken hearts. But here is what I do know – mental health challenges are gripping. They can be relentless. And they can attack anyone, even those with seemingly everything to live for and who appear to be so accomplished. Mental health issues don’t just hit the down and out. Anyone can face a mental health crisis.
As we continue to address mental health both as the Church and in our country, I can’t say it enough, if you are feeling the effects of mental health challenges, such as anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, loneliness or addictions, GET HELP!! Do not try to go it alone – you will only go deeper into a dark, black hole. GET HELP and KEEP GEETING HELP! Even after you have gotten help, don’t think you can then go it alone. GET HELP and then make sure you have a good SUPPORT NETWORK to help you that you can count on each and every day. God cares about our mental health. He has provided experts and professional to help people navigate this journey to better health so that we can live a life with joy and strength while battling the daily issues that we all face. If you need help, my prayer is that you reach out for it. On this website, there are places you can call or go online to get help.
