SAN DIEGO — Dustin Johnson may be the only person on the planet who associates San Diego with bad weather.
For good reason.
"The last few times I played here was some of the worst weather I think I've ever played in," said Johnson, who returns to the Farmers Insurance Open for the first time in five years. "It's not a fun course to play in bad weather. It's hard enough with perfect weather like we have right now."
Sunshine is in the forecast this week at Torrey Pines for the tournament that debuts a Wednesday-through-Saturday schedule.
Defending champion Patrick Reed is among 156 players participating in an event that will spread around $8.4 million in prize money. The winner gets a trophy, a surfboard and a check for $1,512,000.
Farmers Insurance Open CEO Marty Gorsich bumped into Johnson in the Torrey Pines parking lot Sunday when the golfer arrived.
"He showed up rocking shorts and a polo." Gorsich said. "He's like, 'Man, part of why I sometimes don't come play is it's just so cold or wet, you know, or we get the fog or whatever. This is awesome. I can't wait.' "
This is the 10th appearance in the Farmers for Johnson, who is currently fourth in the world rankings. His best finish was a tie for third in the 2011 event won by Bubba Watson.
That's the only top-10 finish for Johnson, who has missed the cut here three times. That includes his last visit in 2017, when Johnson shot 72-74 and had the weekend to himself.
Johnson was here in 2013 when fog wiped out Saturday's play and forced a Monday finish. He's also seen his share of wind and rain during other times.
Johnson's most indelible weather memory — nightmare? — likely comes from the final round of the 2016 tournament.
Driving rain made the conditions miserable. Wind gusting up to 49 mph made it dangerous.
Trees and limbs were strewn about the course by day's end.
An iconic eucalyptus tree fell on the 15th fairway of the South Course. The media tent adjacent to the South's 18th fairway was evacuated. Spectators were not allowed on the course for the Monday finish because the grounds outside the ropes were deemed too hazardous.
Brandt Snedeker, whose 3-under 69 in such conditions won him the tournament, likened the conditions to the worst of anything he's encountered at the British Open.
Johnson was three shots off the lead entering Sunday's final round. He was 8 over through 14 holes when the horn alerted players to head into the clubhouse. He returned the following day, shot par over the final four holes and carded an 80. Johnson has shot only two worse rounds (82 and 84) in his 15-year career.
Johnson put it behind him soon enough, winning his first major four months later at the 2016 U.S. Open. He became a multiple major winner with a victory in the 2020 Masters that was delayed to November because of the pandemic.
In between, Johnson became the game's No. 1-ranked player, earning the distinction in February of 2017 and staying there for 64 straight weeks.
The Columbia, S.C., native comes to Torrey Pines looking to recapture some of that magic.
This is the first tournament of the calendar year for Johnson, 37, who took a three-month break "frustrated" that he didn't play to the high standards he set for himself the past decade.
"It was frustrating to me just because I just wasn't consistent," Johnson said. "Obviously, I put a lot of good rounds together, but I just couldn't put four rounds together."
Johnson went 5-0 — the first American to do that in more than 30 years — in the United States' memorable 2021 Ryder Cup victory.
And he had nine top-10 finishes in his previous 21 starts, but no victories to show for it.
Johnson has played 20 straight PGA Tour events without a victory. That's his longest drought since going 29 starts — from 2015 Doral to 2016 U.S. Open — between wins.
"It felt like when I was hitting the driver good, I wasn't hitting my irons very well," he said. "If I was hitting my irons well, I wasn't driving it good. Just nothing was matching up.
"It just gets frustrating when you do it for eight months straight. Especially after like the fall I had the year before, it was really frustrating."
Three of the four rounds in the Farmers will be played on the demanding South Course, where the 2021 U.S. Open was played last summer. Johnson finished tied for 19th place.
Might he like a less challenging course for his 2022 debut? Nope.
"It's a golf course," Johnson said. "I did step on the first hole of the North on Sunday afternoon when I got here and I'm, like, 'Whoa, this fairway's narrow.'
"I've been playing at home in Florida — the fairways a bit wider. A little like I was hitting down a hallway (at Torrey Pines), but it's nice. It's a really good spot for me to know what kind of shape my game's in. Whether I play well or not, I couldn't tell you, but I feel like the game is — it's there."
Perhaps the sun will shine on him.
