Dustin Johnson, whose dominant 2020 season started at the Travelers Championship, looks forward to his return — with a little more normalcy

When the final round of the 2020 Travelers Championship was paused due to a weather delay, the sirens that rang through TPC River Highlands in Cromwell were heard only by the handful of players left on the course, scattered tournament staff and a limited selection of media.

After the 58-minute pause came to an end, then-leader Dustin Johnson rolled his pants up and stood ankle deep in the water to hit his approach shot on the 15th hole. The high-intensity moment, which would usually draw the eyes of thousands of fans, was witnessed by no more than a dozen people in person.

And when Johnson sank a par putt on the 18th green to win his first event of the 2020 PGA Tour season, just 38 people — an estimate handed out by tournament director Nathan Grube — watched and clapped as the 35-year-old accepted the trophy from Travelers executive vice president Andy Bessette.

The 2020 Travelers Championship was weird, to say the least. The PGA Tour’s third event following a COVID-19-induced schedule suspension was held without fans.

“Super strange,” Johnson, the world’s No. 1 ranked golfer, said Monday at the 2021 Travelers Championship media day. “Obviously you’re used to winning and having huge crowds there and lots of media and lots of pictures. It was completely different vibes. It felt like junior golf almost — a couple parents standing around clapping for you.”

This year’s installment — while still altered due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic — is shaping up to look a little bit more like its 2019 iteration that had over 300,000 spectators, and less like last year’s.

It starts with the fans. The tournament, which runs June 21-27, expects to allow nearly 10,000 spectators per day, following suit with the other tour events that have begun to open back up as COVID-19 metrics improve nationwide.

Tickets will go on sale May 25 with prices starting at $50 for Wednesday grounds tickets, $65 for Thursday and Friday grounds tickets and $70 for Saturday and Sunday. A second tier — courtyard tickets — will allow fans access to open-air structures that provide shaded seating overlooking the 17th and 18th holes, as well as food and drinks. Those tickets start at $150 for Wednesday, $260 for Thursday and Saturday and $280 for Friday and Sunday.

Johnson — who committed to the Travelers in February — is among those looking forward to a more normal June in Cromwell.

“I really enjoy the golf course. I enjoy the tournament,” Johnson said. “Travelers does a great job of getting fans out there. ... Obviously last year was different. They put on a great tournament and take care of the players — that’s why they get such a great field.”

Johnson finished the 2020 tournament at 19 under, besting former champ Kevin Streelman by one stroke. The win snapped a 16-month dry spell for Johnson, who extended his tour-best streak of 13 straight years with a win. It also kicked off a dominant finish to the year in which Johnson won the Northern Trust Open in August by 11 strokes, the Tour Championship in September by three strokes and the Masters in November by five strokes.

He then won the FedEx Cup, was named PGA Tour player of the year and ascended to the top of the world rankings. And it all started in Cromwell.

“Any time you get a win, it gives me a lot of confidence,” Johnson said. “I kind of continued the good play. Every week I was giving myself a chance to win. I finished second at the PGA [Championship], sixth at the U.S. Open, second at the BMW [Classic]. I was competing every week, and that kind of confidence just keeps rolling over.”

Johnson is one of nine players who have already committed to this year’s tournament, joining Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson, Brooks Koepka, Justin Rose, Marc Leishman, Paul Casey and Jason Day.

“How exciting is it going to be on Sunday, to have thousands of fans around the 18th green as our new champion sinks the final putt?” Bessette said. “It won’t just be Nathan and I looking at each other and giving each other high-fives about what a great ending it was last year. ... There will be many [other players] added to our field by the time we’re ready to get going in June.”

Shawn McFarland can be reached at smcfarland@courant.com.