Keegan Bradley felt weird playing Waialae Country Club’s 18th hole in preparation for this week’s Sony Open in Hawaii. 

A year ago, that was where he, along with Ben An, fell to Grayson Murray in a playoff. 

“Last time I was there, I was there with Grayson,” Bradley said in his pre-tournament press conference. “Really sad. Really a horrible thing. Hopefully, we can honor him, his legacy here for a long time.”

On May 25, 2024, four months after he made a 39-foot birdie putt to win the Sony Open, Murray died by suicide in his Florida home at age 30. 

In what would be Murray’s title defense, tributes have been abundant. 

Tuesday morning, players, caddies and PGA Tour officials joined Murray’s family on the shore behind Waialae’s 16th hole. Corbett Kalama, the president of Friends of Hawaii Charities, recited a Hawaiian prayer as the sun rose over the water.

Also this week, the PGA Tour announced the launch of the Grayson Murray Foundation, which aims to raise awareness for mental health and addiction.

“Grayson touched the heart of so many by sharing his own mental health challenges,” his parents, Eric and Terry Murray, said in a statement. 

Grayson Murray was open about his struggles with depression, anxiety and alcoholism. He was eight months sober when he won the Sony, his second Tour title and first since the 2017 Barbasol Championship. 

“I hope I can inspire a lot of people going forward that have their own issues,” Murray said. 

Indeed he did. And Gary Woodland saw it first-hand. 

“I played with Grayson on Sunday last year of the PGA Championship, and I‘ll say this: Grayson was very open about his struggles and everything he battled,” Woodland said at Waialae. 

“We had a guy that was following us for a couple holes and he was yelling at Grayson, trying to get Grayson‘s attention. Him and I were talking, weren't paying attention. Finally, Grayson looked over and the guy broke down and started crying and thanked Grayson for how open he was about his struggles and everything. The guy was sober now. He was getting into golf because of Grayson. He heard Grayson‘s story.”

Webb Simpson, a fellow North Carolina native with Murray, can remember the first time he met Murray. They shared a swing coach, Ted Kiegiel, who introduced the two before Murray was even 10 years old (Simpson is nine years older). They stayed in touch throughout the years. 

“He was just a passionate guy,” Simpson said ahead of his season debut, “and whatever he was doing he was very passionate about it.”

That was evident when Murray emphatically pumped his first after sinking the tournament-winning putt a year ago. 

“When I do think of him now,” Simpson said, “that memory of him on the 18th green comes to mind very quickly.”

One hundred forty-four players are vying to follow Murray’s victory with one of their own. However, no matter how the Sony Open finishes, the most important goal is to honor his legacy. 

“As time goes on,” Simpson said, “life goes on, and then you have these moments a year after he won where we get to remember just his win, his life, what he meant to so many people.”


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Tributes Abound for the Late Grayson Murray, One Year After Emotional Sony Open Win.