Troubled golfer Grayson Murray died of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning after filling his Florida mansion with toxic exhaust fumes, DailyMail.com can reveal.
The two-time PGA tour winner, 30, is said to have left his Land Rover running in his ground-floor garage and then headed upstairs as it pumped fumes into the three-storey property in Palm Beach Gardens.
A concerned neighbor heard prolonged, noisy revving around 12.30pm on Saturday, but when he walked down the street to investigate it had stopped.
Locals later heard the sound of a carbon monoxide alarm and police were called to the $800,000 luxury home where Murray lived with his fiancée Christiana Ritchie, 28, at 10.49am.
Grayson Murray allegedly took his own life on May 25 after leaving his SUV in his ground-floor garage and then heading upstairs as it pumped fumes into his three-storey property.
Neighbors who spoke to DailyMail.com said they were woken early Saturday morning by the blare of a carbon monoxide detector coming from Murray’s home in Palm Beach Gardens.
Murray, who has been open about his battle with alcohol and mental illness, is presumed dead in the upstairs bedroom. His family has confirmed his death was a suicide.
“My thought was maybe it was a kid revving a car. I went outside to investigate, but by then there was no sound,” said the neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous.
‘What I heard later is that he started the car in the garage and went upstairs. He went to sleep and never woke up. People only found out because the CO alarm kept going off.’
A spokesperson for the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department said there is an ongoing investigation into Murray’s death.
“We are conducting an investigation into the matter that occurred in our city,” he said.
Murray’s death came a day after he unexpectedly withdrew from the second round of the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas. He had told his playing partners that he was not feeling well.
“We have spent the last 24 hours trying to come to terms with the fact that our son is gone,” his distraught parents, Eric and Terry Murray, said in a statement on Sunday.
“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.’
Murray had previously spoken about his battle with depression and rampant alcoholism, which left him drinking and playing while hungover during tournaments.
He recalled struggling to get out of bed in the morning and labeling himself as a failure, despite being a junior golf prodigy.
He even admitted his drinking problem when he signed up for the private Dye Preserve Golf Club in Jupiter, Florida, last fall.
Murray was found unconscious in his luxurious $800,000 Palm Beach Gardens home, where he lived with his fiancée Christiana Ritchie, 28.
The North Carolina native finished in 43rd place at the PGA Championship in Valhalla on May 16, six days before his tragic death
Murray’s caddy Jay Green released a heartbreaking statement after his death was confirmed
Club general manager Kurt Thompson told the Palm Beach Post ; Grayson was very candid about his past challenges and his desire to forge a new path. He seemed so happy and excited about the path he was on.”
Over the past year, however, he had turned things around by getting sober, qualifying again for the PGA Tour and winning January’s Sony Open, his first victory in seven years.
He credited his family, especially Christiana, for the revival of his career, telling reporters, “I now have a beautiful fiancée who I love so much and who is so supportive.
‘It makes everything so easy when I get inside the ropes here and everyone around me is really pulling on me.
“And they’re there for me when I have those hard days, and I still have hard days. But I feel much calmer now in those ropes.’
Murray and Christiana started dating in 2021 after meeting at the American Express Palm Springs Tournament in Palm Springs, California.
They got engaged in December and last month Christiana caddied for Murray in the Par-3 competition before The Masters.
However, Christiana was not mentioned in his parents’ statement which read: We have so many questions that have 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.”
Neighbors don’t believe Christiana was in town when Saturday’s tragedy unfolded and a friend who came to their door on Monday told DailyMail.com: “She’s not here.”
Murray was a brilliant prospect, winning three consecutive Callaway Junior World Championships between 2006 and 2008.
He made his first appearance on the Korn Ferry Tour at age 16 and was the top-ranked golfer in his age category. Murray turned professional in 2015 before winning twice on the PGA Tour.
The Richmond, North Carolina native took his first title in 2017 at the Barbasol Championship when he was just 24.
Murray’s second and final title came in January in Hawaii. He finished 43rd at last week’s PGA Championship and finished the 2024 Masters 51st.
Ahead of his victory at the Sony Open, Murray said he was not ashamed to speak publicly about his mental health struggles.
“My parents have basically been through hell and back for the last six years, with me battling some mental issues,” he said in 2023.
“And it’s not easy for me and the people around me who love me. They don’t like to put me down and they have been my biggest supporters.”
“Everyone has their struggles. And sometimes people can hide them and function, and sometimes they can’t.
Christiana caddied for Murray in the Par 3 competition prior to this year’s Masters in Augusta
The two-time PGA Tour winner died on May 25, a day after withdrawing from the Charles Schwab Challenge golf tournament in Texas. A CBS golf broadcast, played on an empty stage in the media center, shows a photo of Grayson Murray during the third round of the tournament in Fort Worth, Texas, on Saturday
“I think our society is getting better at accepting that it’s okay not to be okay.”
Commissioner Jay Monahan said he was “stunned” when he announced Murray’s death.
He said he asked the player’s family if they wanted to pause the Charles Schwab Challenge, but they insisted the tournament would continue.
Murray’s heartbroken caddy Jay Green wrote his own tribute, writing: ‘Grayson was the absolute best. Not only was he an incredible, thoughtful and generous boss, he was an even better friend.
‘He would really do anything for anyone. He has the best family and my heart goes out to them. We will all miss him very much.’
If you or a loved one are experiencing suicidal thoughts or actions, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255)