KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The AdventHealth Championship announced the inaugural Grayson Murray Be Kind to One Another Legacy Award, in memory of the late 2023 AdventHealth Championship winner. The two-part award will recognize a Korn Ferry Tour player or caddie, and a local community member or organization that embody Grayson’s belief in spreading kindness and supporting those experiencing mental health and addiction challenges.
Murray, who was open about his personal experience with anxiety, depression and addiction, tragically took his own life in May 2024 at the young age of 30. The professional golf community and international sports world was shocked and saddened by his passing one year after his triumphant 2023 win in Kansas City. Murray’s willingness to speak candidly on these important topics and his personal generosity to help others is the inspiration for this new award.
“Grayson was a special friend to the AdventHealth Championship and Kansas City,” said Tournament Director Rick Amos. “I remember first meeting him back in 2016 when he hit a memorable hole in one on the 8th hole at the Nicklaus Golf Club at LionsGate and I am thankful his career path brought him back to Kansas City. We witnessed his resilience first-hand as he became our champion in 2023. Grayson wasn’t only our champion, he was a very special friend and supporter of our event, staff and volunteers.”
In the days after his passing, the golf community grieved by sharing countless stories about Grayson’s kindness. The stories led to the inscription on his gravestone: “Be Kind to One Another.” In a journal his parents Terry and Eric Murray later found, Grayson wrote about his desire to help others struggling with their mental health and addiction by creating a foundation in his name. His parents created the Grayson Murray Foundation (www.graysonmurrayfoundation.com) with the mission of creating awareness and support around mental health and addiction.
“We founded the Grayson Murray Foundation to keep Grayson’s memory alive and improve the lives of those facing mental health and addiction challenges,” said the Murrays. “We strive to fulfill Grayson’s vision by ensuring support is accessible to those in need and seeking help.”
“The Grayson Murray Be Kind to One Another Legacy Award is deeply meaningful to us, as it carries forward Grayson’s legacy of kindness and reminds us that even a small act of kindness could be the difference between hope and despair.”
Terry and Eric Murray will be in attendance to present the first-annual Grayson Murray Be Kind to One Another Legacy Award during the closing ceremonies of the 2025 AdventHealth Championship on Sunday, May 18, at Blue Hills Country Club.
“Speaking up and asking for help can be hard. Often, individuals are just not sure where to turn,” said AdventHealth Administrative Director Rennie McKinney. “We need more individuals, like Grayson, who are willing to share their journey. For all of us, checking in on friends and family, even when things seem to be going smoothly, is so important. Ask the hard questions. Let them know you are there and willing to assist in accessing help. As a community, we are fortunate to have treatment facilities and providers who truly care and are passionate about the care they give.”
Murray was a standout golfer from his youth and quickly worked his way up to the Korn Ferry Tour, officially turning professional in 2015. He finished No. 2 in the 2016 Korn Ferry Tour standings in his first full season as a professional, earning PGA TOUR membership for the 2016-2017 season.
Murray quickly established himself on golf’s biggest stage as a PGA TOUR rookie, winning the 2017 ISCO Championship for the first of his two career victories on TOUR.
Murray returned to the Korn Ferry Tour in 2023 and notched two victories – the AdventHealth Championship in Kansas City, and Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation outside of Nashville – to finish No. 7 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List and secure a return to the PGA TOUR. Murray opened the 2024 season with a playoff victory at the Sony Open in Hawaii for his second PGA TOUR title.
To honor his legacy, AdventHealth and the AdventHealth Championship, in partnership with the Grayson Murray Foundation, created the Grayson Murray Be Kind to One Another Legacy Award.
For more information about the award, or to nominate a community member or organization, please visit www.adventhealthchampionship.com/grayson-murray-legacy-award
About Korn Ferry Tour
Founded (1990), owned and operated by the PGA TOUR, the Korn Ferry Tour identifies and develops golf’s next stars, preparing them to compete and win on the game’s biggest stage. The Korn Ferry Tour, which has served as a path to the PGA TOUR since its inception, annually awards 20 PGA TOUR cards based off its points list, with the No. 1 player earning exemptions into the following year’s PLAYERS Championship and
U.S. Open. With more than 700 PGA TOUR titles, 32 major championships and eight FedExCup champions, Korn Ferry Tour alumni make up 82 percent of the PGA TOUR’s current membership. To learn more about the PGA TOUR, the Korn Ferry Tour and to follow the season-long quest for PGA TOUR cards, visit PGATOUR.COM or follow the Korn Ferry Tour on social media. Ten Korn Ferry Tour events in 2025 are televised on Golf Channel in the United States, with tournament coverage available internationally in more than 170 countries and territories via 23 media partners.
About AdventHealth Championship
The AdventHealth Championship, a PGA TOUR sanctioned event on the Korn Ferry Tour, is conducted annually at Blue Hills Country Club in Kansas City, Missouri. This four-day, 72-hole competition features 156 players from around the world vying for a total purse of 1,000,000. As the path to the PGA TOUR, the Korn Ferry Tour features some of the most talented professional golfers who are ready to compete and win on golf’s biggest stage. The AdventHealth Championship is quickly becoming a cornerstone Kansas City event, utilizing professional golf to positively impact the KC Heartland and those charities supported. The 2025 AdventHealth Championship will take place May 12-18 at Blue Hills Country Club. For more information about the AdventHealth Championship, please visit www.AdventHealthChampionship.com.
About Grayson Murray Foundation
The Grayson Murray Foundation was founded by Eric and Terry Murray after the heartbreaking loss of their son, Grayson, who sadly took his own life. The Foundation’s mission is to provide awareness and support around mental health and addiction, as well as a commitment to funding innovative services and research. The Foundation aims to create a noticeable impact on mental health and addiction care by supporting innovative research, expanding access to essential services and fostering a culture of understanding inspired by Murray’s legacy of compassion, resilience and hope. The Grayson Murray Foundation is a federally recognized 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization; for more information please visit www.graysonmurrayfoundation.com.
