Will Zalatoris announces $25,000 donation to Grayson Murray Foundation

FRANKLIN, Tenn. – There’s a tie that binds Grayson Murray and Will Zalatoris.

They first met when Zalatoris was 13; Murray was a couple years older. They’re both recipients of Wake Forest’s Arnold Palmer Scholarship. Sharing the same swing coach in Josh Gregory, they were frequent practice-round partners on TOUR – “he took some currency off me through the years,” Zalatoris said.

The late Murray, who won last year’s Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation, meant a lot to Zalatoris. To that end, Zalatoris will donate $25,000 to the soon-to-be-launched Grayson Murray Foundation, matching the donation announced by the Simmons First Foundation in a ceremony Wednesday evening on the eve of the Simmons Bank Open. Murray's parents Eric and Terry attended the ceremony and received a painting that portrayed last year's winning moment, while also delivering a heartfelt address in memory of their son.

The Grayson Murray Foundation will promote addiction awareness and enhance mental health services and research. Murray died by suicide on May 25 at age 30.

“I miss Grayson a lot,” Zalatoris said Tuesday. “He was always great to me. Every time he saw my parents, ‘Mr. Zalatoris, Mrs. Zalatoris, how are you doing? Great to see you?’

“There was nobody that would work harder, Monday through Wednesday. It was really special to watch him hit golf balls. He was one of the best iron players I've ever seen in my life … I miss him. I've known him for more than half my life, and this is a great way to keep his legacy going forward, and hopefully we can help other people going forward.”

The Simmons Bank Open is the second leg of the four-event Korn Ferry Tour Finals, which has been relocated across the Nashville, Tennessee metroplex from The Grove to Vanderbilt Legends Club’s North Course. Murray won last year at The Grove, carding 17 under for a three-stroke victory over Carter Jenkins, Mason Andersen and Jamie Lovemark. With the victory, Murray cemented his spot inside the top 30 on the season-long Korn Ferry Tour Points List and exempt PGA TOUR membership for 2024; he then won the Sony Open in Hawaii in January.

Murray left a legacy of elite talent on the course and compassion off it, with tributes after his passing ranging far and wide across the golf world, including from close friend Akshay Bhatia, who inscribed “G$” on his wrist shortly after Murray’s passing. “He just taught me to be kind to others,” Bhatia said at the RBC Canadian Open. “He just lifted a lot of people's spirits. Even if his weren't up, he still wanted everyone to live a great life.”

After winning the Visit Knoxville Open in late May, becoming the first player to win back-to-back Korn Ferry Tour events in playoffs, Harry Higgs honored Murray in his winner’s speech. (Higgs attended Wednesday's ceremony, as did 2022 Simmons Bank Open winner Brent Grant.

“I thought about this moment, and how to maybe remember Grayson,” Higgs said after his Visit Knoxville Open victory. “One thing that I thought of last night, especially laying in bed, is I would challenge everybody here, … and I’m going to do this myself as well each day, … say something nice to someone you love and also make a point to say something nice to someone you do not even know.”

Along similar lines, Zalatoris offered his own call to action Wednesday: Be open with others. Don’t go through things alone.

“Life on the PGA TOUR, a lot of people think it's really glamorous and it's very easy and, you know, it's not," Zalatoris said. "It's hard. You travel a lot; some guys might spend more time alone. I think the biggest thing is, speak up. Don’t be afraid to talk if you're going through something. And really from that day, I've had a lot of pros that have talked to me about some of the things that they've gone through.

“I'm really proud to be a Simmons Bank ambassador, and the fact that they're helping start the Grayson Murray Foundation, and I'm really happy that I'm going to match their donation to get this started.”