![Peter Malnati]()
PGA Tour player
Grayson Murray passed away on Saturday morning after withdrawing from the Charles Schwab Challenge with an illness in the second round. Peter Malnati played alongside Murray for two days of the tournament, and was gracious and courageous enough to talk to CBS about Murray once he finished playing this afternoon.
Watching and listening to something this heartbreaking puts the fragility of life into stark perspective, which is the point Malnati drove home. Despite not knowing Murray well, Malnati knew enough about him to recognize his golfing talent, how he overcame personal struggles to triumph earlier this year at the Sony Open in Hawaii, and how trivial it seems to ever get upset at something golf-related in the context of such a tragedy.
"I didn't even know Grayson all that well, but I spent the last two days with him, and it's so funny...we get so worked up out here about a bad break here, or a good break there. But look...it's so competitive out here. We all want to beat each other. And then something like this happens, and you realize we're all just humans. It's just a really, really hard day. Because you look at Grayson and you see in him someone who has visibly, outwardly struggled in the past. And he's been open about it. And then you see him get his life back to a place where you feel good about things. It's just so sad."
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In the previous piece on Murray's death was a link to
an excellent Golf Monthly profile in which he opened up about his battles with alcohol abuse, depression and anxiety. That's what Malnati alludes to in the quoted passage above. There's more from Malnati about Murray's college days at Wake Forest, as he opted to tell a story about him to try to gather his composure. The Demon Deacons' coach, Jerry Haas, said that among all the gifted players he ever had — former U.S. Open champion Webb Simpson among them — he could tell after sharing only one semester with him that Murray was the most talented he'd ever coached.
Given all the personal troubles Murray overcame to win as a PGA Tour rookie back in 2017, battle himself for many ensuing years, and then to reemerge as a winner in Hawaii back in January speaks volumes to Murray's gifts as a golfer as well as his mental fortitude. That win vaulted him to 46th in the world rankings, with the prime of his career ahead of him before it was tragically cut short.
You really can't say enough about Malnati for stopping by to talk about Murray with everything still so fresh. It's understandable that especially after that interview, many wouldn't want the Charles Schwab Challenge to carry on. However, the PGA Tour contacted Murray's family and offered to stop play, but his family insisted that the event continue on as scheduled.
What an emotional, difficult day for the sport. Great job by CBS reporter Amanda Balionis for giving Malnati space to carry out the interview, and for holding it together well enough herself for this incredibly moving piece to air. Not much else can be said but to reiterate condolences and best wishes to those closest to Murray and everyone who knew him who's hurting and grieving.
