Grayson Murray last year at the Sony Open.
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“Grayson!”
“Grayson!”
“Grayson!”
Finally, Grayson Murray turned to the man.
So did Gary Woodland. You remember well.
This week, they play the Sony Open on the PGA Tour, and everywhere there are memories of Murray, and everyone remembers. Four months before he killed himself, he had won the Sony, and the awards were emotional. Sony’s flags this week are decorated with red and black ribbons, the colors of Murray’s favorite NHL team, the Carolina Panthers. Earlier in the week, there was an event involving Murray’s parents, Eric and Terry. Experts were asked for their thoughts.
Woodland provided the story.
The 2019 US Open winner said he knew Murray, and that they were friends. “Uber talented kid, obviously,” Woodland said, “and he was a huge hockey fan.” Woodland’s Brennan Little and Murray ignored the pucks, basically. Their pairing together last May in the final round of the PGA Championship will no doubt work well.
But the shouts of Murray’s name were hard to ignore. Professionals hear all kinds of boos at parties, but this man persisted.
“I thought maybe Grayson pissed him off,” Woodland said at first. “He was yelling, ‘Grayson, Grayson,’ over and over, to the point where Grayson finally had to look. We were trying not to, and we were laughing about it while talking, and then he looked at Greyson.
“And it was good.”
Murray has been open about his mental health, especially after his Sony win. The man from Valhalla Golf Club was listening.
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After paying attention to Murray, she started to cry.
“The guy broke down … and thanked Grayson for being so open about his problems and everything. The young man was drunk now. He was into golf because of Grayson. He heard Grayson’s story.
“Grayson was helping people, and I will always remember that.”
That’s also a thought embraced by Woodland, who is recovering from surgery in 2023 that removed part of a scar attached to his brain. Before that, this wound caused a lot of fear in Woodland, where he thought he was going to die, and Woodland said this week that since the procedure has helped, he is still fighting.
“It’s hard to be open, and it’s hard to talk about struggles,” Woodland said. “I’m telling that story about Grayson because I’ve been open about the things I’ve been going through, last year wasn’t a good year for me using golf, it was difficult for me to do the things I want. to do, but I know that it has had a positive effect on other people because I have seen the messages; I’ve seen people come up to me when I’m playing.
“Not everyone has the support systems that most of us have here, and I’m blessed to have a great team around me. There are people who fight and go through a lot of things who don’t have that.
“That’s why I’ve gone public because I want people to know that they’re going through something difficult, that you’re not alone in this, that I’m out here playing, I’m playing, I’m living the dream, but I’m struggling, too. Like I said, I’m blessed to have people around me who can help me. Not everyone has that.”
Have people approached the Woodland?
Several, he said. Listen to them, too.
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“I’ve had grown men come to me complaining that they’ve been fighting brain tumors or fighting, and seeing me play gives them hope,” said Woodland. “I’m trying to do that. At the end of the day, I want to make a positive impact on this world. I would like to have a positive impact on myself through playing golf, and I would like to have a positive impact on my family.
“It was difficult for me last year until a few months ago when we found some things. It was difficult for me to be around my children. My children have so much energy, and my mind couldn’t take it. My mind couldn’t keep up. My poor wife has to explain to my children why Dad has to go to the bedroom because there is so much energy and happiness – my children are full of life and Dad can’t deal with that.
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 it’s another thing that keeps me going because I wasn’t the person I was trying to be, but I help other people in the hope that they will go through what I’m fighting with, and their stories kept me going, too.”
Editor’s note: To donate to Grayson Murray’s mental health and addiction awareness foundation, please click here.
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