Rory McIlroy said the world needs to be “kinder” to one another while offering condolences to Grayson Murray’s family following the golfer’s death by suicide on Saturday.
“It’s incredibly sad, first and foremost, and I think we’re all thinking of Grayson’s family and hoping that they’re doing OK and getting through this incredibly tough period,” McIlroy said Wednesday before the RBC Canadian Open, which began Thursday morning at Hamilton Golf & Country Club in Ontario.
“It’s a cliche, but it puts everything in perspective. At the end of the day, golf is golf and, yeah, we play it for a living, but it pales in comparison to the things that actually matter in life. I’ve had to realize that at times and I’m still sort of working my way through that in terms of not making golf the be-all and end-all for me. But I think it slaps you in the face when something like that happens last week.
“It’s incredibly sad and everyone has to remember out here that we go out and we do things that a lot of people can’t, but at the end of the day, we’re still human beings and we’re vulnerable and we’re fragile, and I think if there’s a lesson for anyone out there it’s just to be kinder to each other.”
Murray died Saturday, with his parents revealing Sunday that their son took his own life.
He was 30 years old.
The Daily Mail reported Murray died from “suspected carbon monoxide poisoning” at the Florida townhouse he shared with his fiancée, Christiana Ritchie.
He withdrew from the second round of the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas the day before, citing an illness.
“We have spent the last 24 hours trying to come to terms with the fact that our son is gone,” Eric and Terry Murray said in a statement on 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.”
McIlroy, 35, and Murray did not always get along during their time as competitors.
Around this time last year, as the news of the potential PGA-LIV Golf merger broke, Murray reportedly let loose on PGA commissioner Jay Monahan.
Golf Digest reported that Murray said “something to the effect of, “We don’t trust you, Jay — you lied to our face,” which elicited a blunt reaction from McIlroy: “Just play better, Grayson.”
Murray then fired back with a “F–k off,” per Golf Digest.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
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