From the outside looking in, PGA Tour pro Grayson Murray has an enviable life. He travels the world playing golf for a living, has a win on his resume (the 2017 Barbasol Championship), and has amassed over $3.68 million in earnings.
But things are not always what they seem. On Friday evening, Murray took to Twitter to vent his frustrations — most notably, that as a recovering alcoholic, he doesn’t feel supported by the PGA Tour.
“I’ve played the last five years on the PGA Tour. A lot of ups and downs and mostly downs,” he wrote.
Murray likened the Tour lifestyle to being given “the key of a Ferrari at 22” and being told to “go full-throttle.” In addition to struggling with injuries, Murray says he has also struggled internally. He alluded to the financial strain of maintaining a Tour career when you’re not winning every year, and to being lonely, describing himself as a 27-year-old with no wife or girlfriend who doesn’t travel with a coach. He then admitted to being on probation with the Tour, and at risk of being assessed a $20,000 fine for his next transgression, stemming from an incident of being drunk in a hotel bar in Hawaii.
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“Why was I drunk? Because I’m a
f—— alcoholic who hates everything to do with the PGA Tour life and that’s my scapegoat,” Murray wrote. “The Tour not once in my 5 years of being a member has reached out to me with advice or help on how to deal with the life of becoming a PGA Tour pro.
“In my five years of experience of being on Tour not once have I ever had a request been acknowledged by the commissioner or the PAC other than ‘we will get back to you,'” Murray continued, further alleging that the Tour would rather focus on fining him and promoting their top players than helping him to deal with his issues.
“I hope not only the PGA Tour steps up in the areas they need to step up but I also hope people are held accountable in their roles they serve,” Murray concluded.
(Due to Murray’s use of profanity, we won’t post his statement in full in this article but you can read it on Twitter here.)
The PGA Tour responded to GOLF.com’s request for comment with the following statement: “We can unequivocally say that the PGA Tour is a family, and when a member of that family needs help, we are there for him. That has been the case here and will continue to be.”
Murray’s tweet received an outpouring of support from fans and players alike — including six-time major champion, Phil Mickelson.
“I’m sorry playing the Tour has been so overwhelming and if I can help in any way I’d be happy to,” Mickelson responded. “It’s not an easy life for sure, and even winning every year can bring about other challenges.
“FYI ‘we will get back to you’ is the only response I’ve ever gotten too.”
Steve Elkington also chimed in to Mickelson’s reply. “Took a lot to write this,” he wrote. “Yes the Tour has always had a massive blind spot, I’d like to help also if needed.”
Murray is currently competing on a major medical extension, and has made six cuts in his last 21 events, grossing $255,130.
*This article has been updated to include a statement from the PGA Tour.
