SAN DIEGO — Whatever nervousness Brooks Koepka had in his return to the PGA Tour was not evident Thursday morning, when Koepka appeared for the opening round of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.

Koepka looked calm, cool and collected as he exchanged warm handshakes with playing partners Ludvig Aberg and Max Homa before being introduced by announcer Tony Perez at No. 1 South. Gone the past 3 1/2 years playing LIV Golf, Koepka admitted earlier in the week to being nervous about how fans would react to his return.

Turns out the gallery was filled with well-wishers, several of them shouting “Let’s go, Brooksie” and “Welcome back, Brooks.” It would be that way for all 18 holes, with the gathering growing to more than 1,000 people in some spots.

While waiting for Aberg to lead off, Koepka fixed his focus on the fairway, literally and figuratively looking into his future.

Homa, the 2023 Farmers champion, actually received the most applause on the first tee, though Koepka’s presence was the talk of the round.

Among those following Koepka’s group were Geoff Heppes and son-in-law Sean Pinard, who are visiting from Dallas.

“No hard feelings,” Pinard said of the five-time major champion’s return.

Heppes said he wasn’t surprised by the warm welcome for Koepka.

“People want to see the star players,” said Heppes, who expects Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm to follow Koepka — and Patrick Reed, who announced his return this week — back to the tour. “Reed’s the one that not necessarily people want to see. I wouldn’t judge it on his (return). They don’t like him on either tour.

“But they’re competitors, and I just don’t think LIV scratches that itch. They’re (LIV), obviously, trying to compete because they’re changing to a four-day format. That’s what these guys really want at the end of the day.”

Welcome back was the phrase of the day. It was repeated over and over.

“The fans were awesome today,” Koepka said. “I think it was very cool to hear ‘welcome back.’ It was pretty much every hole, which is great. I loved to hear it and I’m excited for the next few days.”

This many welcome-backs haven’t been heard since Gabe Kotter returned to James Buchanan High School (Google it).

Not so welcoming was the South Course itself.

Koepka found himself “in the rough all day” and just couldn’t get putts to drop. His only birdie came on the 18th hole, giving him a 1-over 73. He is tied for 102nd coming into Friday’s second round on the relatively easier North Course.

“I think I’ve fallen back in love with the game,” Koepka said. “And, honestly, watching my (2 1/2-year-old) son play a little bit and wanting to be able to see him watch me, or I guess want him to watch me play well and realize how much this game’s given me, how fun it is and how cool it is to just be out here.”

Hot tub time machine

Four guys waiting for Koepka’s group to come up the sixth fairway were talking about nothing in particular when one of them pointed out that he could see their hotel room at the Hilton, and mentioned something about a hot tub on the balcony. That, of course, triggered one of them to quote Will Ferrell’s character Roger Klavin from a 25-year-old Saturday Night Live skit: “Although the waters above appear calm, below the surface there is a frenzy of activity.”

“Back when SNL was funny,” one of his buddies said.

They were then consumed by the possibility of being extras on TV, standing in the background as Max Homa hit.

“Are we in the shot?” one of them asked. “Suck (your stomach) in, guys.”

Them’s the breaks

Justin Rose had a 4-foot birdie putt on his final hole to go 11-under, two clear of the field. It rolled toward the hole and slid right at the last moment, just as a similar putt by Jason Day had moments earlier.

“Everything breaks to the ocean,” a fan cracked from across the green.

It’s something you hear locals say often on the two courses perched on bluffs above the Pacific, to the point that, they swear, putts defy the immutable laws of physics and break uphill.

“The ball never goes uphill,” Rose said. “It’s often just the illusion of what you think it’s going to do, right? So I’ve been using my feet quite a bit more. I normally rely on my eyes, but I’ve been using my feet to kind of feel the slope a little bit.”

Hard to argue with him. The last putt aside, he shot a 10-under 62 for the outright lead after the first round. And the ocean didn’t dump his approach shot into the bunker.

Say what?

— Spectator along the ropeline at the No. 1 South tee: “So much pressure. I get nervous when the group behind us catches up.

— Marshal inside the ropes at No. 1 South tee: “Everybody, please check your phones and make sure they’re on mute. And if your phone does go off, just hand it to the person next to you and blame him.”

— Same marshal (looking up into the sky): “Somebody call Miramar. Tell them to knock it off with the jets.”

Watering hole

Costco has water machines filled with bottles on sale for 25 cents apiece. Spectators were charged $5 a bottle for water at Torrey Pines. How is it water costs 20 times more at the golf course?

Boys will be boys

Speaking of water, there was one fan rationing it like he was lost in the desert.

The man was wrangling three 8-year-old boys along the South’s fourth fairway, ostensibly following Koepka’s group, when one youngster wanted a drink. The man told the kid to tip his head up and open his mouth, then poured some water down his throat.

That was moments after the three boys were walking and one stepped on the back of another’s shoe to give him a “flat tire,” a phrase common among the age group but long forgotten by someone who hasn’t seen single digits since the Nixon administration.

“New rule,” one of the boys said. “Whoever gives someone a flat tire doesn’t get drinks for the rest of the day.”

Moments later, Koepka and Co. were on their own. The boys peeled off from the fourth hole and stood along the fifth fairway. One of them suddenly fell to his back on the grass. The others, of course, immediately started to tickle him.

Soon enough, they were swallowed up in the crowd as Koepka, Homa and English caught up.

The boys were spotted again along the sixth hole, each one eating popcorn out of clear plastic cups. All was right with the world.

North vs. South

Cumulative score to par comparison during the first round: North Course 206 under, South Course 36 over. There were 58 players under par on the North and 29 under par on the South. Scoring averages on each course: North 69.14, South 72.48.

Compared to last year’s opening round: North Course 139 under, South Course 37 over. There were 56 players under par on the North and 30 players under par on the South. Scoring averages on each course: North 70.22, South 72.49.

Parting thought

The weather at Torrey Pines for the opening round was spectacular, and it figures to be more of the same the rest of the tournament.

That’s great for golfers, good for spectators and breathtaking for TV viewers, especially those who last week were impacted by the 2,000-mile-long weather band that blew cold, rain, sleet and snow across 40 states.

Before everyone gets the bright idea of crowding into San Diego County, maybe tournament organizers can add some banners behind the tee boxes and a couple cardboard signs in the gallery:

“Median home price: $903,667”

“Average cost for a gallon of gas: $4.41”

And when the Goodyear blimp passes over Balboa Park, Jim Nantz can point out how people now have the privilege of paying when they pull into the potholed parking lots.

“Hello, friends.”

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