James Ewen Murray was born on 7 October 1954 in the Edinburgh suburb of Currie, the son of Jimmy Murray, the club professional at Baberton Golf Club, who coached him from a young age. He had a standout amateur career, winning the Scottish Boys Championship, Scottish Boys Stroke Play Championship and World Junior Championship in 1971, and reaching the final of the 1970 Boys Amateur Championship.

Murray turned professional in 1971, joining Walton Heath Golf Club in Surrey as assistant professional in 1973 and later becoming its tournament professional, a role he held for 16 years. On the European Tour he won three titles — the 1977 Northern Open, the 1980 Zambia Open and the 1984 Nigerian Open.

After losing his European Tour playing rights in 1989, he moved into broadcasting, commentating from 1990 and joining Sky Sports full-time ahead of the 1995 Ryder Cup, going on to commentate on every Ryder Cup since. In November 2025, Sky Sports Golf changed his role so that he now commentates on specific events like the Masters.

He lives in West Chiltington, West Sussex, with his wife, Nicky, whom he met when she was a British Caledonian Airways flight attendant.