How Grayson Murray ‘inspired’ the PGA Tour to improve its mental health programs by calling out Jay Monahan

Commissioner Jay Monahan has revealed how the late Grayson Murray inspired the PGA Tour to improve its mental health programs before his tragic death.

Murray, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour, died at the age of 30 – 24 hours after withdrawing from the Charles Schwab Challenge in Texas near the end of his second round. He had told his playing partners that he was not feeling well.

Murray has been open about his struggles with alcohol and mental health, once saying, “I’m not ashamed of going through depression and anxiety.”

However, in 2021 he called out the Tour for not helping him during his dark days. The tweet, which was later deleted, read: “No, the PGA Tour didn’t force me to drink. But the PGA Tour never helped me.

“In the five years I’ve been on tour, I’ve never had a request from the commissioner or the PAC (Player Advisory Council) other than ‘We’ll be in touch.’

Jay Monahan revealed how Murray inspired the Tour to improve its mental health programs

“I hope that not only does the PGA Tour make progress in the areas where they need to step up, but I also hope that people are held accountable in the roles they play.”

On Saturday, shortly after the announcement of Murray’s death, Monahan revealed how that Tweet prompted him to spend time with the golfer — and make improvements to the way the tour handles mental health.

“When Grayson said that, I called him right away,” Monahan said at Colonial Country Club after flying in from the Tour’s headquarters in Florida.

“I spent a lot of time with him over the years because I wanted to understand what he thought we could do to help everyone else here.

“We’ve made some progress in that direction and it’s become a real focus. We’re proud of the programs we’ve put in place to support our players, to support everyone here.

Monahan had previously said Murray’s death left him “without words.”

The world number 58 is pictured with his fiancée Christiana in a post from earlier this year

“We mourn Grayson and pray for comfort for his loved ones,” the PGA Tour commissioner said

He later added: “I’m obviously devastated by Grayson’s loss, but – no different – through the conversations I’ve had with him, especially over the past year, I’ve learned an awful lot from him.

‘He was very open and transparent with me. Most importantly, I think back to how he became interested in real estate and how he became interested in things he wasn’t interested in before. He just talked about the peace he had in his life.”

Murray was especially open about his off-course struggles after the Sony Open in Hawaii in January, when he won his second PGA Tour title.

“Everything he talked about after he won the Sony Open, he talked to a lot of people about it, and I personally took inspiration from that, and as the leader of this Tour, I also took inspiration from that.”