Grayson Murray at the Sony Open last year.
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“Grayson!”
“Grayson!”
“Grayson!”
Finally, Grayson Murray turned to the man.
Gary Woodland did the same. He remembered it clearly.
This week, as they compete in the PGA Tour’s Sony Open, memories of Murray are everywhere and on everyone’s mind. Four months before he took his own life, he won a Sony Award and the tributes were overwhelming. This week’s Sony pin flag is adorned with a red and black ribbon, the colors of Murray’s favorite NHL team, the Carolina Panthers. Earlier this week, Murray’s parents Eric and Terry attended a ceremony. Professionals have been asked for their thoughts.
Woodland tells a story.
The 2019 U.S. Open champion said he knows Murray and they have always been friendly. “Obviously, he’s a talented kid,” Woodland said, “and he’s a huge hockey fan.” In fact, Woodland’s ball boy, Brennan Little, and Murray hit it off while talking hockey. Their partnership in the final round of the PGA Championship last May certainly worked out well.
But calling out Murray’s name is hard to ignore. The pros heard all kinds of yelling at the event, but the man persevered.
“I thought maybe Grayson pissed him off,” Woodland said he initially thought. “He yelled ‘Grayson, Grayson’ over and over again until Grayson finally had to look. We tried not to, we laughed and talked about it, and then Grayson looked over.
“And it’s beautiful.”
Murray has always been open about his mental health, especially after winning the Sony Award. The man at Valhalla Golf Club listened.
Grayson Murray’s life touched many lives. So was his death.
Michael Bamberger
After getting Murray’s attention, he started crying.
“The guy broke down… and thanked Grayson for being honest about his struggles and everything. The guy is sober now. He started playing golf because of Grayson. He listened to Grayson’s story.
“Grayson was always helping people and I will always remember that.”
It’s a thought echoed by Woodland, who is recovering from surgery in 2023 to remove part of the lesion that was attached to his brain. Before then, the lesion caused a severe sense of fear in Woodland, who thought he was going to die, and Woodland said this week that while surgery had helped, he was still fighting.
“It’s hard to open up and talk about struggles,” Woodland said. “I tell Grayson’s story because I’ve been very honest about what I’ve been through, last year was not a good year for me golf-wise, and it was hard for me to do what I wanted to do, but I know It has a positive impact on other people because I’ve seen the information; when I play, I see people coming towards me.
“Not everyone has the support system that a lot of us have, and I’m lucky to have a big team around me. People are struggling and going through a lot of things without that.
“So I’ve always been open because I want people to know that going through some hard stuff, you’re not alone, I’m here playing ball, I’m playing, living the dream, but I’m also struggling. Like I said , I’m lucky to have people around me who can help me, not everyone has this.
Did people approach Woodland?
There were several, he said. He also listened to their opinions.
Tour winner honors Grayson Murray with 1-letter, 1-symbol gesture
Nick Piastowski
“I’ve had grown men come up to me and cry and say they’ve been battling a brain tumor or something, and seeing me play here again gives them hope,” Woodland said. “That’s what I’m trying to do. At the end of the day, I want to have a positive impact on the world. I want to have a positive impact on myself through golf, and I want to have a positive impact on my family.
“The last year was difficult for me until the last few months when we figured something out. Being with my kids was difficult for me. My kids had so much energy that my brain couldn’t handle it. My brain couldn’t keep up. . My poor wife has to explain to my kids why daddy has to go to the room because there is so much energy and excitement – my kids are full of energy and daddy can’t handle it.
“So I couldn’t be the father I wanted to be. I couldn’t play the way I wanted to play. But my story and being able to help and talk about it helped me and that’s the one thing that kept me going, Because I’m not who I want to be, but I want to help other people go through what they’re going through. “Their stories keep me going, too.”
Editor’s note: Donate to the Grayson Murray Foundation, which raises awareness of mental health and addiction issues, Please click here.
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