LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Weeks before participating in the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, two-time PGA champion and Oldham County-native Justin Thomas is joining a long list of local celebrities who have earned a "Hometown Hero" banner.
The 60-foot banner is visible on the side of the Watterson City Park Towers on Bishop Lane, just off I-264 in the Bashford Manor neighborhood.
By the end of the dedication ceremony on Monday, Thomas was emotional, recalling how he drove by the building on his way to school every morning when he attended St. Xavier High School.
"Thank you all," he said, fighting back tears. "The things that I've felt today, I've never felt in any golf tournament I've won. It's just an unbelievable honor...I just thank the city of Louisville for making me feel like this. There's a reason why when I tee off, I announce I'm from Louisville, Kentucky."
Thomas, 31, was born in Louisville and attended North Oldham Middle School before graduating from St. Xavier High School in 2011. He played college golf at the University of Alabama and won a national championship in 2013.
He has 17 professional wins, including 15 on the PGA Tour. He is a two-time major champion, winning the 2017 and 2022 PGA Championships. Thomas also won the FedEx Cup in 2017, and is a two-time PGA Player of Year winner, and has earned over $57 million in his career.
His father, Mike Thomas, has been the head professional at Harmony Landing Country Club in Goshen since 1990.
While family members are proud of Justin's accomplishments on the field, Mike Thomas said he's most proud of who his son is as a person.
"He's a caring and giving person. One of our proudest moments is when he came to us and wanted to form a foundation to give back to Louisville," his father added. "It really should say 'Louisville's Justin' because he is one of you all."
Watch Monday's full event below
"[These banners are proof] you can grow up right here in Louisville, you can be number one in the world at anything that you choose, you can make great things for yourself and for other people in this city and across the world," Mayor Craig Greenberg said.
Kentucky Gov. Beshear said he is immensely proud of how Thomas represents Kentucky off the golf course and the way he uses his acclaim to help others in his community.
In addition to his banner, Beshear also honored Thomas with the state's highest honor as a Kentucky Colonel and Greenberg proclaimed May 6, 2024 as "Justin Thomas' Hometown Hero Day" in Louisville.
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