“He burned bright for the 30 years he gave us,” coach and lifelong mentor Ted Kiegiel wrote of the late golfer
After the death of pro golfer Grayson Murray, his coach and lifelong mentor, Ted Kiegiel, shared a heartbreaking message about the “kind and gentle soul.”
“I’m absolutely numb and crushed for the loss of Grayson,” Kiegiel wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “He was family… He was more than family… We were kindred spirits – sharing so many victorious ‘life’ moments, while suffering through down turns that challenged his very essence.”
Kiegiel said in the May 26 post that he and Murray, whose death at age 30 was confirmed on May 25, have “spent countless hours” together in their over two decades of friendship, during which they have leaned on and found strength in each other. “We knew each other very well,” he added.
The coach also revealed how he first met the two-time PGA Tour winner, writing, “Our story began when his dad, Eric, arranged a golf lesson with me when Grayson was 8 years old… As chance would have it, that meeting would go on to forge a lifelong journey for us.”
“Grayson was a kind and gentle soul – that had the heart of a lion when it came to competing in golf,” he wrote. “Taking it from his earliest days as a very successful junior player – all the way to the PGA Tour… Yes – he stood among the best in the game and [was] respected for all the talent he possessed.”
But Kiegiel — whose X account is brimming with posts celebrating Murray’s professional accomplishments — emphasized that Murray’s “true character was based in loving, kindness toward those he knew.”
“Or if you somehow came into his presence… Those seeds were planted from his parents, Eric and Terry Murray – whom I love and care for deeply,” he noted, adding, “They are truly the salt of the earth.”
The coach also noted that “words cannot express the tragedy of this moment.”
“What I can say is – Grayson came from something that was ordinary and made it EXTRAORDINARY… He burned bright for the 30 years he gave us,” he wrote. “Grayson will be dearly missed by his many friends and family – as well as the world of golf.”
“It was my honor to serve as your coach and mentor,” he finished. “I will miss you so, so very much and will carry your memory all of my days.”
PGA Tour officials confirmed Murray’s death in an official statement posted on the organization’s website on May 25, the day after he withdrew from the Charles Schwab Challenge in the middle of the second round.
The following day, May 26, the late golfer’s parents confirmed that his cause of death was suicide.
“We have spent the last 24 hours trying to come to terms with the fact that our son is gone,” Eric and Terry Murray wrote in a statement. “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.”
“We have so many questions that have no answers. But one,” they continued. “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. He was loved and he will be missed.”
The late golfer’s parents also expressed their thanks to the PGA TOUR “and the entire world of golf for the outpouring of support.” “Life wasn’t always easy for Grayson,” they wrote, “and although he took his own life, we know he rests peacefully now,”
They also requested privacy as they “work through this incredible tragedy,” and urged people to show kindness in their son’s honor, writing: “If that becomes his legacy, we could ask for nothing else. Thank you.”
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.
