Saturday at the Cadillac Championship in Miami is moving day, but for Justin Thomas, May 2 is special for something else. Back in Louisville, the gates at Churchill Downs are opening for the Kentucky Derby, and Justin Thomas made sure to send a message to his home city, even while trying to climb a leaderboard that hasn’t been kind to him this season.

“Happy Derby Day to my fellow Kentuckians, and all those there today. There’s nothing like it. Moving day here in Miami, LFG!! @cadillac_champ,” JT wrote.

For Thomas, the Derby connection runs deeper than a tweet. He grew up in Louisville, where Churchill Downs is not just a racetrack but a civic institution. He fronted a Woodford Reserve commercial that aired nationally during the NBC Derby telecast in 2018, and Louisville formally recognized him with a “Justin Thomas Day.” Yet despite all that, he has been honest about his actual knowledge of horse racing.

“I don’t know much. I can’t give you some in-depth analysis, and if anybody is listening, don’t text me because I don’t know,” he said at the 2021 Valspar Championship press conference.

JT’s message for his hometown comes amidst his own struggles at Blue Monster. He opened with a 70 in Round 1, posting three birdies on the front nine before finishing at -2. Round 2 was tougher, a 73 that included dropped shots on the back nine, leaving him at -1 overall. Through 10 holes of Round 3 on Saturday, he remains at -1, sitting T15 in contention.

The broader picture for 2026 tells a harder story. He’s still looking for his first win of the year, missing the cut at Bay Hill, finishing T77 at the RBC Heritage, and posting a T41 at the Masters. His best finish was a T8 at The PLAYERS Championship.

His putting has been a big part of that inconsistency. Justin Thomas ranked 133rd in Strokes Gained: Putting coming into this stretch, a number that doesn’t mesh with a player of his stature. He went back to his backup Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS putter at the RBC Heritage, and an eagle at the Cadillac Championship this week suggests the change might be doing a little good.

Though he is excited for Derby, his Kentucky roots go well beyond.

Justin Thomas’s love for basketball

Growing up in Goshen, just outside Louisville, attending St. Xavier High School, he carried the state’s identity long before any PGA Tour win. Kentucky not only shaped him, but it also follows him wherever he competes, and the loyalty is mutual.

The 33-year-old has said publicly that the support he receives from Kentuckians at tournaments is humbling, often being approached by fans who are just proud to claim the same state.

He is also an ardent member of Big Blue Nation, the notoriously rabid Kentucky Wildcats basketball fan base. For Kentuckians, college basketball is almost a religion, and Justin Thomas has never tried to hide what side he is on.

During the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla in Louisville, the governor named Thomas a Kentucky Colonel, the state’s highest civilian honor. That recognition said it all for a player who in 2018, said he truly feels he doesn’t deserve the support he gets from Kentucky.