Davis Riley pays tribute to tragic golfer Grayson Murray after winning Charles Schwab Challenge – the event late PGA Tour star was competing in before pulling out and committing suicide

Davis Riley used his winner’s speech at the Charles Schwab Challenge to pay tribute to tragic PGA Tour star Grayson Murray, on a “super sad day in golf.”

Murray took part in the same event, playing on Thursday and Friday, before tragically taking his own life on Saturday morning, as confirmed by his parents in a heartbreaking statement.

Riley went on to win the event in Texas – his first win on the PGA Tour – and he used his time on the microphone to pay tribute to Murray on an emotional day.

“A super sad day in the golf world, but my heart just goes out to him and his family,” Riley told the TV cameras. ‘There was definitely something extra to play today.

“A sad day, and my heart is heavy for his family.”

Grayson Murray, pictured with his fiancée Christiana, took his own life on Saturday morning

It was also an emotional week on a personal level for 27-year-old Riley, who found out shortly before the tournament that his older sister had suffered a seizure at work, which led to the discovery of a tumor in her brain and surgery the next day.

At the time, Riley wasn’t even sure he could or even wanted to play in the Charles Schwab Challenge.

“When you have someone so close to you, all the worst-case scenarios go through your mind,” Riley said. “It was definitely a scary feeling to think about how you could lose your sister.”

The family breathed a deep sigh of relief when the surgery was successful and the tumor was cancer-free. His parents told him that his sister wanted him to play.

So Riley did, earning his first individual win on the PGA Tour after playing in the final group with Scottie Scheffler on Sunday. Riley shot an even-par 70 to finish at 14-under 266, five strokes ahead of the world’s No. 1 player and Keegan Bradley.

The final round was played on the day Grayson Murray’s parents said their 30-year-old son committed suicide on Saturday, a day after the two-time tour winner declared himself ill as he withdrew from the event with two holes remaining in his second round. round. The family had urged PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan to allow the game to go ahead.

Riley was gifted a 1975 Stingray Corvette for winning the Charles Schwab Challenge in Texas

Murray’s parents (who imagined him kissing his fiancée) confirmed that he had committed suicide

“We have spent the past 24 hours trying to come to terms with the fact that our son is no longer here,” the statement said. “It’s surreal that not only do we have to admit it to ourselves, but we have to admit it to the world. It’s a nightmare.

‘We have so many questions for which there are no answers. But one. Was Grayson loved? The answer is yes. By us, his brother Cameron, his sister Erica, his entire extended family, by his friends, by his co-stars and – it seems – by many of you reading this.

“We would like to thank the PGA Tour and the entire golfing world for the outpouring of support. Life was not always easy for Grayson, and although he took his own life, we know he now rests peacefully.”

His playing partner, Peter Malnati, broke down in tears during an interview with CBS earlier this week, saying, “I didn’t even know Grayson that well, but I spent the last two days with him. We worry so much here about a bad break or a good break. We’re so competitive here and you want to beat each other – and then something like this happens and you realize we’re all human.

“It’s just a really tough day because when you look at Grayson you see in him someone who has visibly and outwardly struggled in the past and he’s been open about it. And you see him getting his life back to a place where he feels good about things.

“Just to know that he’s not going to do that again, I think it’s a huge loss for all of us on the PGA Tour. It’s a huge loss. We lost one and that’s terrible.’

Riley kisses his wife Alexandra after scoring a big win on the PGA Tour on Sunday night

Murray, a junior prodigy who was ranked 58th in the world at the time of his death, had claimed his second Tour victory earlier this year. That he had done so after struggling with serious mental health issues made him a figure of admiration on the circuit.

Justin Rose said, “I had the opportunity to play a few rounds of golf with Grayson in Hilton Head, Quail Hollow and Valhalla over the past few weeks. I will always remember that and use it to remind myself that you never know what challenges people face in their lives and how they internalize things. RIP Grayson and much love and strength to your family and friends.”

European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald posted on X: ‘Truly devastating news that Grayson Murray has passed away. He asked me a few months ago for some advice about playing Augusta. Last week I saw him at the PGA Championship, life really is precious.

“My condolences and prayers for his entire family to find some peace.”

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who plays in Texas, said: “I can’t imagine how hard this is. I’ve gotten to know Grayson a little better over the past six months.

“There’s not really a way to put into words how sad and tragic it is, but I’m thinking of his family.”