Golfing world morns passing of Grayson Murray, aged 30

Murray's death was announced by the PGA Tour a day after he withdrew during the second round of the Charles Schwab Challenge in Texas.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement: "We were devastated to learn — and are heartbroken to share — that PGA Tour player Grayson Murray passed away this morning. I am at a loss for words.

"The PGA Tour is a family and when you lose a member of your family, you are never the same. We mourn Grayson and pray for comfort for his loved ones."

Murray won the Sony Open in Hawaii in January, having claimed his maiden PGA Tour success at the 2017 Barbasol Championship in Kentucky.

He pulled out of the ongoing Charles Schwab Challenge on Friday after completing 16 holes and reportedly telling playing partners he felt unwell.

Commissioner Monahan said the tournament at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth would continue, with grief counsellors available at the venue.

"I reached out to Grayson's parents to offer our deepest condolences and during that conversation, they asked that we continue with tournament play," he said.

"They were adamant that Grayson would want us to do so. As difficult as it will be, we want to respect their wishes."

In January, Murray — after his last victory at the Sony Open in Hawaii — spoke about his battles with anxiety and depression and revealed he had sought treatment in the past few years for alcohol abuse but had been sober for several months.

Three years ago he posted on social media he felt the Tour did not do enough to assist players who dealt with illnesses such as his.

"When Grayson said that, I called him right away," Monahan said on Saturday.

"Over the last several years I spent a lot of time with him because I wanted to understand what we could do, in his opinion, to help everybody else out here.

"I'm devastated by Grayson's loss. The conversations I had with him, particularly the last year, I learned an awful lot from him. He was very open and transparent with me.

"We don't know the circumstances around Grayson's passing. My conversations with Grayson in the area of mental health… we're always challenging ourselves to make certain that we're on the front edge of being able to provide the support that we can for everybody out here.

"These are some of the best athletes in the world. They think they're, in many respects, invincible.

"One of the things I think back about Grayson's openness is he taught us all a lesson on that front and that's something I'll never forget."