LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Golf fans from across the country took in the first round of the PGA Championship on Thursday at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville..

There's been a lot of excitement this week during the practice rounds, but the 106th PGA Championship started Thursday with sunshine and soft turf.

"Truly blessed! What a blessing to be here," said Jason Stoops, who is visiting Valhalla from Texas. "I got to win this trip to come here. This is the first PGA tournament I've ever been to, so, for me, it's pretty exciting"

Stoops spent the majority of the day tracking down Tiger Woods.

"That's why we are here," he said. "First time we've ever seen Tiger Woods. But not just to see Tiger Woods, even though that's a huge perk."

Dozens of other families did too.

"He's the only one with cops," a man from California said. "So everyone is following him."

After three days of practice rounds, the first day PGA Championship began with 156 players teeing it up.

IMAGES | Round 1 of the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville

"It's a pleasant course to watch, and you got some great golfers out here," Steve Habbot said

And all those players have one goal in mind: hoisting the Wanamaker Trophy on Sunday.

"We could watch the course record here," said Jace Jessie, a teenage boy. "This is a very nice seat right now."

It's an experience some folks have been preparing for more than a year to see.

"As soon as we could buy them, we bought our tickets," said Ashley Conway, from Jeffersontown.

No matter where people came from, the crowd has one thing in common: They all enjoyed the sights and sounds of the Bluegrass.

"It's been a great day," Conway said. "It's been really well-organized. It's been a lot of fun."

"It's a pretty nice venue," Stoops said. "I couldn't say anything more good about Louisville. It's been such a great experience seeing the horse racing too."

WDRB was not allowed to film the golfers on the course from Thursday-Sunday, but you can see some of the practice footage here and on the WDRB+ app.

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