The 26-year-old from South Carolina, in Sweden this week for the Nordea Scandinavian Masters, is on course for a Ryder Cup debut in October, but must be wondering what on earth is going to happen to him next.
At last month's US Open Johnson was the one who led Graeme McDowell by three with a round to go.
McDowell shot 74 and won. Johnson had an 11-over-par 82 - the worst final round by a 54-hole leader since Fred McCloud's 83 in 1911.
One of the people who contacted him straight afterwards could certainly relate.
"I got a call from Greg Norman and from some of my friends and all of them told me that they learned more from times that they'd lose than they did from when they'd win.
"Golf is a learning process non-stop."
Norman, of course, was six ahead with 18 holes to play in the 1996 Masters and lost by five to Nick Faldo.
Come the next major, last week's Open at St Andrews, Johnson was never a threat to runaway winner Louis Oosthuizen, but come the last two holes a repeat of his birdie-birdie finish in the third round would have given him a share of second place with Lee Westwood.
Instead he double-bogeyed the Road Hole 17th and then with his closing drive - he thought it would be his closing drive - missed the widest fairway in golf and went out of bounds.
Johnson did make a three with his second ball, but dropping those three shots left him only in a tie for 14th.
Rather than travelling straight back home, he has now moved on to Bro Hof just like young compatriot Rickie Fowler - a teammate in the 2007 Walker Cup win at Royal County Down over a Britain and Ireland team including McIlroy - Korean KJ Choi and South African Rory Sabbatini.
Oosthuizen is also playing, honouring a commitment instead of taking the week off to reflect on his amazing first major title.
The 27-year-old has already bought himself something as a present - a tractor for his farm back home.
"It was one of my dreams," he said. "It's for me to drive around on and I made sure there was enough space for my little daughter Jana to sit beside me.
"We're going to have a lot of fun."
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