US Open organizers have paid an emotional tribute to the late PGA Tour star Grayson Murray in the week he was due to play a major in his home state of North Carolina.
Murray, 30, committed suicide on May 25 at his home in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, less than a month before he was due to return to North Carolina to play in the US Open at Pinehurst.
Even though he was not present at the tournament, the USGA chose to honor Murray by keeping his locker in the clubhouse and attaching a touching message to the front.
The silver plaque bears his name and a message next to it reads: “The USGA remembers Grayson and honors the achievements as a player that earned his place at the 124th US Open Championship.”
Below, a quote reads, “Be kind to one another.”
USGA honors late Grayson Murray in Pinehurst locker room
Murray was due to play in this week’s tournament before committing suicide at the age of 30 last month.
Murray is believed to have He died from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning. after leaving his SUV running in the downstairs garage last month.
The golf world was stunned by the news of his death and since then, multiple tournaments have paid tribute to the golf star in multiple ways.
A moment of silence and honorary tee time was held last week at his home club in Raleigh, while his heartbroken caddy was invited to carry a PGA Tour official bag at an upcoming tournament in a bid to achieve “normalcy.” ” after. of the tragic events.
Before his death, Murray had spoken openly about his battles with depression, anxiety and alcoholism.
However, over the past year he had turned things around by sobering up, regaining his PGA Tour card and winning January’s Sony Open, his first victory in seven years.
That sentiment was shared by NBC Sports and Golf Channel reporter Todd Lewis, who watched Murray throughout his career.
Murray poses for a photo with his fiancée Christiana Ritchie after winning the Sony Open
Last week, the Memorial Tournament paid tribute by putting Murray’s name on the board.
Golf has been mourning for a few weeks over the tragic death of one of its players. In the photo, Peter Malnati talks to Amanda Balionis after playing with Murray a few days earlier.
“Early in his career, Grayson had a lot of demons,” Lewis said. ‘He struggled with alcoholism. He struggled with depression, he struggled with anxiety.
“He realized that it was okay to not be okay and that gave him the comfort to try to get counseling to surround him with positive people.”
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 playmates that he was not feeling well.
He was then found inside his $800,000 residence around 11 a.m. ET on Saturday, according to local police.
