Troubled golfer Grayson Murray died from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning after filling his Florida townhouse with toxic exhaust gases, DailyMail.com can reveal.
The two-time PGA tour winner, 30, is believed to have left his Land Rover running in his ground-floor garage then headed upstairs as it pumped fumes into the three-story property in Palm Beach Gardens.
A worried neighbor heard prolonged, noisy revving at around 12:30am Saturday but when he wandered along the street to investigate it had stopped.
Locals later heard the blare of a carbon monoxide alarm and police were called to the upscale $800,000 home, where Murray lived with his fiancée Christiana Ritchie, 28 at 10:49 am.
Grayson Murray is believed to have taken his own life on May 25 after leaving his SUV running in his ground-floor garage then heading upstairs as it pumped fumes into his three-story property
Neighbors who spoke to DailyMail.com said they were awoken by the blare of a carbon monoxide alarm coming from Murray’s Palm Beach Gardens home early Saturday
Murray, who has been open about his battles with alcohol and mental illness, is thought to have been found dead in the upstairs master bedroom. His family have confirmed his death was a suicide.
‘My thought was maybe it was a kid revving a car. I went outside to investigate but by then there was no sound,’ said the neighbor, who asked to remain anonymous.
‘What I later heard is that he started the car in the garage and went upstairs. He went to sleep and never woke up. People only found out because the CO alarm kept going off.’
A spokesman for the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department said there was an ongoing inquiry into Murray’s death.
‘We are conducting an investigation into the matter that occurred in our city,’ he said.
Murray’s death came a day after he unexpectedly pulled out of the second round of the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas. He had told his playing partners he was feeling unwell.
‘We have spent the last 24 hours trying to come to terms with the fact that our son is gone,’ his distraught parents, Eric and Terry Murray, said in a statement Sunday.
‘It’s surreal that we not only have to admit it to ourselves, but that we also have to acknowledge it to the world. It’s a nightmare.’
Murray had previously spoken of his battles with depression and rampant alcoholism that saw him drink during tournaments and play while hungover.
He recalled struggling to get out of bed in the morning and labeling himself a failure despite being a junior golfing prodigy.
He even admitted his drink problem when applying to join the private Dye Preserve golf club in Jupiter, Florida, last fall.
Murray was found unresponsive at his upscale $800,000 Palm Beach Gardens home, where he lived with his fiancée Christiana Ritchie, 28
The North Carolina-native tied for 43rd at the PGA Championship at Valhalla on May 16, six days before his tragic death
Murray’s caddie Jay Green released a heartbreaking statement after his death was confirmed
Club general manager Kurt Thompson told the Palm Beach Post ; ‘”Grayson was very forthcoming about his past challenges and his desire to turn a new leaf. He seemed so happy and excited with the path he was on.’
Over the past year he had turned things around, however, by getting sober, requalifying for the PGA Tour and winning January’s Sony Open, his first victory in seven years.
He credited his family, and especially Christiana, for his career resurgence, telling reporters: ‘I have a beautiful fiancée now that I love so much and who’s so supportive of me.
‘It just makes everything so easy when I get out here inside the ropes when everyone in my circle is really pulling for me.
‘And they’re right there with me when I do have those hard days, and I still have hard days. But I feel a lot more at peace inside those ropes now.’
Murray and Christiana began dating in 2021 after they met at the American Express tournament in Palm Springs in Palm Springs, California.
They got engaged in December and last month Christiana caddied for Murray during the Par-3 contest ahead of The Masters.
However Christiana was not mentioned in his parents’ statement that said: We have so many questions that have no answers. But one. Was Grayson loved?
‘The answer is yes. By us, his brother Cameron, his sister Erica, all of his extended family, by his friends, by his fellow players and – it seems – by many of you who are reading this.’
Neighbors don’t believe Christiana was in town when Saturday’s tragedy unfolded and a friend who came to the door Monday told DailyMail.com: ‘She’s not here.’
Murray was a brilliant prospect, winning three consecutive Callaway Junior World Championships between 2006 and 2008.
He made his first cut on the Korn Ferry Tour at the age of just 16 and was the top-ranked golfer in his age group. Murray turned professional back in 2015 before going on to win twice on the PGA Tour.
The Richmond, North Carolina, native picked up his first title in 2017 at the Barbasol Championship when he was just 24.
Murray’s second and final title came in January in Hawaii. He tied for 43rd at last week’s PGA Championship and ended the 2024 Masters in 51st.
Prior to his Sony Open win, Murray said he wasn’t ashamed to speak publicly about his mental health struggles.
‘My parents have been through hell and back basically for the last six years with me fighting some mental stuff,’ he said in 2023.
‘And it’s not easy on me and the people around me that love me. They don’t like to see me down and they’ve been my No. 1 supporters.’
‘Everyone has their battles. And sometimes people are able to hide them and function, and sometimes you’re not.
Christiana caddied for Murray during the Par 3 contest ahead of this year’s Masters at Augusta
The two-time PGA Tour winner died on May 25, one day after he withdrew from the Charles Schwab Challenge golf tournament in Texas. A CBS golf broadcast played on an empty stage at the media center showing a photo of Grayson Murray during the third round of the tournament in Fort Worth, Texas on Saturday
‘I think our society now is getting better about accepting that, you know, it’s OK to not be OK.’
Commissioner Jay Monahan said he was left ‘lost for words’ as he announced Murray’s death.
He said he had asked the player’s family if they wanted to pause the Charles Schwab Challenge but they insisted the tournament should continue.
Murray’s heartbroken caddie Jay Green penned his own tribute, writing: ‘Grayson was the absolute best. Not only was he an incredible, thoughtful and generous boss, he was an even better friend.
‘He truly would do anything for anyone. He has the best family, and my heart goes out to them. We will all miss him deeply.’
If you or a loved one is experiencing suicidal thoughts or actions, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255)