The story of Grayson Murray is an interesting one, with the American finally breaking his six-year victory duck at the Korn Ferry Tour's AdventHealth Championship, an event where, despite a double bogey on the final hole, he finished one shot clear of Rico Hoey and Wilson Furr.
It's no secret that Murray has had his mental battles on and off the course. Back in 2021, he took to Twitter to reveal that he was receiving treatment for alcoholism, with the 29-year-old then getting involved in a heated Twitter spat with Kevin Na, before being seen snapping his iron and throwing his putter in a fit of rage at the 2022 US Open.
An honest conversation about mental health struggles.Grayson Murray opens up about the last six years and his continuing fight while supporting others who battle with mental health. 💚🫶#MentalHealthAwarenessMonth pic.twitter.com/PrYXruKzVmMay 21, 2023
However, he has bravely battled back and, following a final round 68 in Kansas City, he picked up his first professional title since the 2017 Barbasol Championship. After the winning putt, he was obviously emotional as he went on to give an honest insight about his mental health struggles.
"Yeah, my parents have been through, you know, hell and back basically for the last six years with me fighting some mental stuff. It's not easy on me, and the people around me that love me, they don't like to see me down. They've been my No. 1 supporters. There's a few friends as well that have been there and it makes these moments a lot more special when you can share it with them...
"I really recommitted myself. I fell back into some old habits recently. I'm 29 years old and I'm not getting younger, and all these kids that are coming out of college are studs and are ready to win and are winning... I'm re-dedicating myself in the gym and doing a lot of just mental stuff to really ease my mind out here... I struggle with anxiety and that's a very tough thing to do when you're playing golf is to go through anxiety. Just knowing that I'm not alone with that and embrace it. It's never going to be a walk in the park and every day's a new challenge.
"Like I said in my speech over there, I think everyone has their own battles. Sometimes people are able to hide 'em and function and sometimes they're not. You know, I think our society now is getting better about accepting that, you know, it's okay to not be okay type deal.
"I've embraced that type of mentality. Not ashamed that I go through depression, anxiety. I know I've helped people out in the past just through my social media DMs, people message me and that's I think part of it. I can use my platform to continue to help with things like that."
That winning feeling. 👏Grayson Murray secures his second #KornFerryTour win @AHChampGolf1. pic.twitter.com/oMxtkZRhyeMay 21, 2023
Murray isn't the only player to recently end a winless drought. At the AT&T Byron Nelson, Jason Day picked up his first PGA Tour title in five years, with the Australian birdieing the final hole to secure the win.
Even Murray acknowledged the feat, with the American stating: "Yeah, it really hasn't sunk in, but yeah, I mean, six years is a long drought, far longer than I wanted. Jason Day just won last week and he had, I think, a five-year drought. Sometimes your highs are high out here and your lows are low."
He went on to add: "I heard a quote from one of the players, I think it might have been Justin Thomas. It's like one day you feel like you're -- nothing can go wrong, you're playing your best, you can't lose, and then all of a sudden you lose it and now you feel like you can't even make a cut. That's kind of how golf is. It's a very humbling sport. I've been working really hard and this is a testament to the hard work, for sure."
