Louisville native Justin Thomas has outside shot to win PGA title on home turf

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The local hero isn’t out of it.

Justin Thomas, the Louisville native who’s being figuratively carried around Valhalla by the roars of the home crowd, is 10-under par entering Sunday’s final round , five shots out of the lead after shooting 67 on Saturday.

“It’s been more enjoyable than anything I really thought or could have imagined,’’ Thomas said of playing in front of home crowds. “I mean, I’m very, very excited for [Sunday], and it should be a lot of fun. But I’m pretty bummed that the week is almost over. Just enjoy [Sunday] as much as I can and see what happens.

“I feel like I have done the most important part of putting myself at least within striking distance, and I’m going to need a really good front nine [Sunday] to work my way in the mix. I feel like I’m fully capable of that of how I’m playing, and it would be nice to have a chance there on the back nine.’’

Thomas came from seven shots back entering the final round of the 2022 PGA at Southern Hills to win his second Wanamaker Trophy, defeating Will Zalatoris in a playoff.

So, he knows it’s possible.

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A year ago, Michael Block captivated the golf world as a club pro making big noise in the PGA Championship.

Block finished his magical week tied for 15th, and that got him into this year’s field.

He missed the 36-hole cut Friday.

Two club pros among the 21 who started the tournament, though, made the cut and are playing the weekend — Braden Shattuck and Jeremy Wells.

This is just the third time in the past 15 years that multiple club pros made the cut.

Rob Labritz, from Glen Arbor, Mich., Marty Jertson and Ryan Vermeer did it in 2019 at Bethpage Black.

Ben Cook and Brad Marek did it in 2021 at Kiawah Island.

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Shattuck, the director of instruction at Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield, Pa., made the cut after missing last year in his first PGA Championship appearance.

He’s an amazing story, having had to rebuild his swing due to a car accident in 2019, herniating two disks in his back and being unable to swing a golf club for two years.

Shattuck won the 2023 PGA Professional Championship to play at Oak Hill, missing the cut.

“That’s something you take a lot of pride in,” Shattuck said of making his first PGA cut. “It’s nice to represent the PGA of America out here.”

He played his third round with S.H. Kim and Stephan Jaeger.

Wells, who was 2-under to start the day, is the director of player development at Cypress Lake Golf Club in Fort Myers, Fla.

He finished his second round Saturday morning after play was suspended due to darkness Friday.

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“We woke our kids up at 4:30 to get to the golf course,” Wells said. “We were in blankets in the clubhouse. Yeah, didn’t sleep very well but it wasn’t the first time I felt that way. Fortunately, I got to play 8 and 9 this morning, which are kind of normal holes here. But even still, I knew I was going to have to stand over a couple 3-footers.”

Entering Saturday, Scottie Scheffler had shot even-par or better in each of his past 42 official rounds on the PGA Tour.

That’s 10 rounds shy of Tiger Woods’ record of 52., which spanned parts of the 2000 and 2001 seasons.

Englishman Justin Rose, who shot up the leaderboard Saturday with a hot start, has had great success in the PGA despite not having won it.

The 43-year-old Rose finished tied for ninth last year at Oak Hill, tied for 13th in 2022 at Southern Hills, tied or eight in 2021 at Kiawah Island and was ninth in 2020 at Harding Park.

Over the past 40 years, just two players had five consecutive top-15 finishes at the PGA Championship: Brooks Koepka (six in a row, 2014-19) and Jason Day (five, 2013-17).

The only player to have five consecutive top-15 finishes at the PGA Championship, all after his 40th birthday, was Sam Snead (five straight, from 1956-60).

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