Justin Thomas displays exceptional iron play to lead a PGA Tour tournament for the first time in 781 days

Justin Thomas recorded a score of 8 under 62 during the first round of the 2024 Genesis Scottish Open, just one shot shy of the course record. He is not only at the top of his game this week but also at the top of the leaderboard after the first round.

This is also the first time in 781 days that Thomas has held the lead for a PGA Tour tournament. He recorded a bogey-free round with eight birdies, as he sits one shot clear of second-place finisher Sungjae Im.

The last time Justin Thomas led a tournament was on May 22, 2022, during the last round of the PGA Championship. He went on to win the tournament after getting the better of Will Zalatoris during the playoff. Thomas has not led or won a tournament since then.

Going into the weekend, Thomas has odds of +3500 (via CBS Sports) and is one of the favorites to win the Genesis Scottish Open. Rory McIlroy is the defending champion and has the best odds of winning this weekend (+700).

The likes of Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, and Ludvig Aberg are other favorites to win the Scottish Open.

Justin Thomas' 2024 PGA Tour season so far

Justin Thomas got off to a strong start in 2024, finishing T3 at the American Express. His year has been a relatively positive one, with several top 10 and top 5 finishes. His luck at the majors has not been the best. He got cut at the US Open as well as the Masters.

The 2024 PGA Championship, however, was a memorable one for the 31-year-old. The tournament was held in his hometown of Louisville in May, which brought back fond memories for the two-time past champion. Speaking about his experience, Thomas said (via PGA Tour):

"The things that I’ve felt today are things that I’ve never felt in any golf tournament I’ve won. I think it's just one of those things when it all comes together and maybe the past 30 years of my life are able to come together into like this one moment. It was pretty special.”

Following are Justin Thomas' results on the 2024 PGA Tour season so far.

The American Express- T3: $635,600.00
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am- T6: $642,500.00
WM Phoenix Open- T12: $187,000.00
The Genesis Invitational- CUT
Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard- T12: $389,666.67
THE PLAYERS Championship- CUT
Valspar Championship- T64: $18,060.00
Masters Tournament- CUT
RBC Heritage- T5: $702,750.00
Wells Fargo Championship- T21: $224,666.67
PGA Championship-T8: $521,417.50
the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday-T33: $106,500.00
U.S. Open- CUT
Travelers Championship- T5: $702,500.00

Thomas will tee it up at the Open Championship next week, which is the fourth and final major of the year.