Brown: Louisville's Justin Thomas doesn't have to win PGA Championship 2024 to be winner

A hometown boost can come in many different forms. Louisville native Justin Thomas would be wise to remember that as he pursues his first win since he captured the PGA Championship in 2022.

Of course, he's aiming to win the whole thing. Thomas shot 2-under-par 69 during the first round at Valhalla Golf Club on Thursday. Had Xander Schauffele not shot a course-record 62, he wouldn’t feel so far behind while tied for 32nd.

"I wasn't really paying attention much to leaderboards and whatnot, but when I looked up and saw where I was at, Ifelt a little bit better about how I was making my way around the course compared to the field," Thomas said.

So much can happen between now and Sunday, especially with rain in the forecast, it’s hard to predict whether that will help or hurt him on the leaderboard.

The best thing for Thomas is, he got the nerves out of the way. His approach on the opening tee, having so much fan support behind him, was one of the few times as a golfer he thought as much about his surroundings as he did his form and technique on his swing.

“To be honest, I feel like I've never had this many people root for me before, so it's a pretty good feeling, to be perfectly honest,” Thomas said.

Regardless of where Thomas finishes, he’s still got a chance to lead. There will be an elementary school-aged kid somewhere on the course being exposed to their first major golf championship who will be inspired by seeing the St. Xavier High School graduate play.

Thomas was just 7 years old when his dad took him to Valhalla to witness Tiger Woods outlast Bob May in 2000 to capture the first of his four PGA Championship wins.

The seed was planted right then for Thomas to pursue becoming a professional golfer.

Now, Woods is just another of his competitors instead of his idol. And both are just trying to get some traction while at Valhalla.

Since winning the PGA Championship two years ago, Thomas has had an uneven streak of play. He’s landed top-10 finishes in 12 events — and missed the cut in 11. It’s been a bit of feast or famine.

Thomas does believe he entered this week’s event trending in the right direction. After missing the cut at the Masters, he finished tied for fifth at the Heritage, shooting a final round of 6-under 65 last month. That was his best showing for four rounds — scoring in the 60s each day — since his opening tournament of 2024 in The American Express when he did the same and was tied for third.

Thursday’s round was a positive sign for Thomas. Each time he’s missed the cut this year, he’s shot in the 70s in the first round and could not recover. Thomas said he felt like he “played better than I scored.”

“If I'm in a rhythm with my golf swing or I feel like I'm playing well, it's one of those things over four days I feel like I can potentially get a hot putter at least one day,” Thomas said. “And even if I just putt well or OK, I feel like I can find my way into contention versus sometimes if you're not hitting it well or you're scrapping it around, sometimes you just can't find it.”

Thomas is already a hometown hero. He officially got the banner to prove it May 6, as it hangs on the Watterson City Park Towers on Bishop Lane. The picture on the banner is one of Thomas clutching the Wanamaker Trophy after winning the 2022 PGA Championship.

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg declared it “Justin Thomas Day,” and he was made a Kentucky Colonel by Gov. Andy Beshear.

“I said it earlier this week, Louisville obviously means a lot to me, but I think it actually means more to me than I even thought,” said Thomas, who added that he shed “happy tears” at his banner unveiling.

He's felt the love this week from Louisville. He's giving it back, too, just by competing.

Reach sports columnist C.L. Brown at clbrown1@gannett.com, follow him on X at @CLBrownHoops and subscribe to his newsletter at profile.courier-journal.com/newsletters/cl-browns-latest to make sure you never miss one of his columns.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Justin Thomas inspiring during PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club