DUBLIN, Ohio (WCMH) — A week after professional golfer Grayson Murray retired after the 16th hole of the second round at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas, Murray was found dead the next morning.
Murray has been open about his struggles with mental health for years and spoke about his progress after winning his second career PGA tournament earlier this season. His death has brought the mental health discussion in golf to the forefront as the Memorial Tournament approaches at Muirfield next week.
Ahead of the U.S. Women’s Open this week, LPGA star Lexi Thompson, who rose to fame as a teenage phenom, announced her retirement at age 29, citing mental health issues.
Some of these challenges come from the game of golf and the pressures on the course, but former professional golfer and Golf Room co-founder Kyle Morris says golfers are fighting a silent battle before they even tee it off on the first hole.
“The tournament finishes at 7 o’clock on Sunday, you might drive nine hours to the next venue and then qualify on Monday. And even if you get into the tournament, you still have to go through the qualifiers to make any money,” Morris said.
Morris knows firsthand the hustle and heartache of professional golf.
“Ninety-nine percent of the time you lose, so 99 percent of the time you walk off the golf course feeling down and thinking, ‘Oh, I could have done better,'” Morris said.
That kind of constant criticism can be hard on anyone, even the best person in the world.
“The interesting thing about golf is the higher you go on tour, the lonelier it gets,” Morris said.
Chris Stankovich, a professional sports counselor and physician, said some athletes can hide struggles behind their talents, especially when their entire identity revolves around their sport.
“People think that if you’re really good at a sport, you have it all figured out or you know how to handle situations, but that’s not necessarily the case,” Stankovic said. “I always worry about sports, which are more personal than natural. You don’t have as many people to talk to. When you’re anxious or depressed or just not feeling great, who do you go to? Who do you turn to? I think when that gets internalized, it makes you really vulnerable.”
Both Stankovic and Morris believe the conversation and awareness around mental health needs to start with young athletes.
“The biggest sign is a lack of emotion,” Stankovic said, “and if they’re not proud of their accomplishments or excited to go to the game, I think that’s a big sign.”
Morris said there’s nothing wrong with being competitive or feeling a bit down after competing.
“When morale gets so low they reach a subjective breaking point,” Morris says. “Find something they’re really passionate about and commit to it.”
