Grayson Murray credits famous Jimmy Valvano quote for help with off-course struggles

Lately, there is plenty to celebrate in Grayson Murray’s life.

After winning the Sony Open on Sunday, he earned an invite to the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Genesis Invitational.

The journey wasn’t an easy one, however. As is the case for any athlete. For Murray, it was a battle he had off the greens.

“There are days where I didn’t want to get out of bed,” Murray told Sean Zak, Golf.com. “I just thought I was a failure. I always looked at myself as a failure. I thought I had a lot of talent that was just a waste of talent.”

Murray wrestled with addiction, struggling with alcohol. It was a tale of perseverance. A story he didn’t shy away from, telling it over the weekend.

He had a few inspirational words to thank for his rise.

“Yeah, that’s kind of a Jimmy Valvano quote. He said, when you get tired of fighting, let someone else fight for you. I don’t know the exact words he said, but that’s kind of where I got it from.”

The quote is one from the late college basketball coach Jimmy V famously spoken at the 1993 ESPY Awards. Valvano lost his battle to metastatic adenocarcinoma the same year.

“Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up,” echoes through speakers to this day.

“He was obviously battling cancer, something that I can’t fathom,” Murray said. “I’m sure he had days where he just felt like giving up and he couldn’t go anymore. Maybe his family members were pushing him to kind of just keep going or maybe fighting for him and giving him a little more inspiration. I think that’s why he got more days out of [life than] the doctors probably said he did. I really lean on that quote.

“It was a bad place, but like I said, you have to have courage. You have to have the willingness to keep going. Lo and behold, that’s what I did, and I’m here, and I’m so blessed and I’m thankful.”

[Golf.com]