Justin Thomas leads the PGA Tour for the first time in a very long time. He soared to the top of the Genesis Scottish Open leaderboard after round one with a stunning 8-under 62, which included eight birdies and eight pars. Amazingly, since winning the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills over Will Zalatoris in an exciting playoff, Thomas has not finished a round with at least a share of the lead. This astounding figure was shared by golf statistician Justin Ray following Thomas’ round. “Starting off well is always a nice thing, but starting off really well is even better. I thought I had complete control over everything. When I failed to notice it,
I played incredibly well today, and that par putt on hole 17 was enormous. Like any golfer, I would have loved to play a little bit better on those final five holes. Well, that was nice—I adore not having any bogeymen. After becoming eighteen, my taste would have been different. Particularly on the front nine, where he scored five birdies, Thomas had a strong advantage. With his par-breaker, which he rolled in from 13 feet, the former Alabama standout made a terrific three on the par-4 first, signaling more to come. Suddenly, Thomas found himself near the top of the scoreboard when he turned to the back nine after making four straight birdies on holes five through eight.
The seventh birdie of the day for @JustinThomas34 🔥
This one came from 42 feet. pic.twitter.com/tgnhEvgkXk
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 11, 2024
The 10th, 12th, and 13th holes all saw three more birdies, and on the par-3 12th, Thomas hit a 42-foot bomb. When I’m in that frame of mind, I feel confident, said Thomas. When it comes to weather and conditions, this is undoubtedly the easiest links golf course you will find. You have a lot of short clubs and I see only the pin when you drive it effectively, which is mostly what I did. In general, if I have a solid number, I try to find out how to hit the ball as close to home as possible, but there are times when slopes present opportunity for you to get it close. I have no fear in pursuing this.
Thomas made eight birdies, five of which came from within six feet, so he frequently struck it close. Up until he hit a near-miss shank on the par-5 16th, he was playing well all day. Nevertheless, he was able to two-putt for par, demonstrating his strong play on Thursday.
As of Friday’s round, the two-time major winner leads Sungjae Im by one stroke. Though it is unclear if he can maintain this level of play, it would not be shocking if he spent the entire weekend hovering at the top of the leaderboard. That’s something he’s done quite a bit in 2024 in silence; at the Travelers Championship, he most recently tied for fifth. That being said, Thomas has not won since Southern Hills, and unless he ends this two-year streak, he will not be entirely content with his abilities.