Dustin Johnson thinks he's long, comes up well short as winds, rain wreak havoc on Dunhill

There were so many birdies and eagles being blasted on day one of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, you half expected a visit by a concerned representative from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

Forget the sunshine – there wasn’t any of that – it was a day to make hay while the wind didn’t blow.

But that changed on Friday with the arrival of Storm Amy, and Dustin Johnson learned the hard way what that weather can do to a shot. Johnson thought his shot on the 18th hole was destined to roll through the green, but it barely got on the front.

Links golf. Links conditions...

"Fore!" Dustin Johnson and caddie thought they had flew the green but came up 50 yards short. 😅#DunhillLinkspic.twitter.com/T95iuEqT3C

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) October 3, 2025

Now plying his trade on the LIV series, Johnson, the former Masters and U.S. Open champion, has become something of a forgotten man.

With no world ranking points up for grabs on the Saudi-backed circuit, the 41-year-old is now down in 628th spot on the global pecking order.

Johnson can still knock it around, though. In his last five strokeplay rounds before Friday, he was 33 under. He fired a 64 on Thursday, but fell back into the pack with a rough day in the elements on Friday.

Four years ago, Johnson won five matches out of five as the U.S. romped to a 19-9 win over Europe in the Ryder Cup.

Here in 2025, he was watching the USA’s defeat at Bethpage Park last Sunday from a distance. “I was on the couch,” he said with a wry smile.

Johnson may have been on the outside peering in, but he still harbours Ryder Cup ambitions.

“I’d love to,” said Johnson when asked about making a Ryder Cup return. “I wanted to be there. I just need to play a bit better and I can be there for Adare (Manor in 2027).

“I finally feel like I have my game coming back into form. I’ve got a lot more confidence in it and I am starting to swing it well again.

“I went through about a year where I just wasn’t swinging at it very well. But I feel I am now starting to hit a lot of nice shots and feel a lot more consistent. The last few months have been nice.”

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Dustin Johnson misjudges length as winds, rain wreak havoc on Dunhill