Grayson Murray waited a long time for his second PGA Tour win, but he finally did it in the three-man playoff at the Sony Open.
He entered the 72nd hole with a one-stroke lead over Keegan Bradley and Ahn Byung-hoon. Murray closed his approach two feet and tapped in for birdie, putting him in a playoff with Bradley and Ann.
And in the playoffs, Murray accomplished the unthinkable. He sank a 39-foot birdie putt to win the title.
Murray is spectacular fist pump But it wasn't over after the ball fell home.
“That putt felt a lot better,” Murray said. “I'm a sucker for a good celebration. I love making the big putts at the big moments. I'm never going to back out of the celebrations.”
The fist pump was fine, but I had to wait for Ann to putt from 4 feet. It was Murray's day and Ann missed her birdie putt and so did Bradley.
It was a tough day for the Raleigh, North Carolina native. He shot a bogey-free 67 but had only three birdies all day.
“Hard work pays off. It's not easy,” Murray said. “So many times I wanted to give up. I wanted to give up on myself, I wanted to give up on golf, I wanted to give up on life. Just endure and when you get tired of fighting, let others fight. That's what happened. ”
This may sound familiar, but Jimmy Valvano coined this famous phrase. This quote may not be Valvano's word for word, but it gets the point across.
“Every year we watch the Jimmy Valvano Award Ceremony at the ESPYs, and we always see him saying some of the famous words of the day,” Murray said. “It's something to live for. He's a great inspiration to everyone and still raises a lot of money through his foundation. A guy who can have such a death attitude, why can't I?” ?”
Photo by: Michael Reeves/Getty Images
Murray has been sober for eight months and is fighting back to get back on track. His story of finding his faith and having his support system around him has brought him this far.
He battled those demons and finished the job on Sunday. It took him a long time to get to where he is now.
While many would say this win changed his life, it wasn't for Murray.
“It's a big thing for my career. I knew today wasn't going to change my life,” he said. “My fiancé changed my life. Jesus Christ changed my life. I didn't intend to change my life today, but my career has changed a little bit. , and I’m excited.”
The win qualifies him for this year's signature event, and he will head to Augusta National for the first time to play in the Masters.
Murray is fighting to improve himself and stay the course every day. This week in Hawaii showed what he's capable of.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through.If you want to know more about golf, please follow us. @_PlayingThrough On all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirls and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
