The past few years have brought Grayson Murray the lowest of lows, but it appears he may have found light at the end of the tunnel.
“I think everyone kind of goes through some ups and downs with their confidence,” Murray said after Round 1 of the John Deere Classic, “but if you see the results and believe in yourself, then I think there’s no reason that I can’t step on the first tee and think that I’m the best player in the field, without a cocky way of saying it.”
And Thursday, only one player was better than Murray at TPC Deere Run. Jonas Blixt shot an opening 9-under 62, and Murray, who got into the field after Brandon Wu withdrew, is two strokes back in solo second.
The 29-year-old continues his upward trajectory with his lowest PGA Tour round in three years. In May, he won the Korn Ferry Tour’s AdventHealth Championship and finds himself 12th on the KFT regular-season points list, with the top 25 at the end of the season earning a Tour card.
Full-field scores from John Deere Classic
However, the 2017 Barbasol Championship winner has endured various struggles off the course, which have affected him on the course.
In July 2021, Murray entered treatment for mental health and alcohol abuse issues. He returned to competition in 2022, but made headlines for reasons other than his play, something Murray hasn’t been able to avoid throughout his entire career. There was a spat with Kevin Na, he heaved his putter and snapped an iron in the final round of the U.S. Open and then, in October, he was seriously hurt in a scooter accident ahead of his season debut at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
“That was just adversity that I’ve dealt with in the past with other adversity moments,” he said of his accident. “I think it’s one of those things that’s part of my story now.”
Failing to regain his Tour card at last year’s KFT Finals, Murray took on a different mindset for this season after an epiphany.
“I kind of had a coming to Jesus moment a little bit and said, ‘Hey, look, I have an opportunity here,'” he said.
When he’s not working on his game, Murray’s been trying to fill his downtime with “positive” things, such as going to the gym. Now, he’s on the brink of claiming his card for next season through his KFT success.
“I think that right there gives me a little more freedom when I do get into these events too knowing that, ‘Hey, I’m going to be all right for next year,'” he said. “Now this is just kind of bonus.”
Murray can escalate securing status for next season if he rides his opening 64 to a win at TPC Deere Run. And despite a turbulent few years, his confidence is as high as ever entering a new stage in his career.
“I can get on a good solid 10-year run,” he said, “and that’s what I plan on doing. I’m in such a good spot right now where I don’t want to change anything I’m doing.”
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