We should all have the problems Dustin Johnson had on the golf course Thursday at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J.

Listening to Johnson describe his opening round of the Northern Trust — the first tournament of the FedExCup playoffs — you would have thought he had shot a million, not the 4-under-67 that had him just one shot out of the lead.

When a reporter said to Johnson, the No. 1 ranked player in the world, that it looked like he had “no idea’’ where the ball was going, Johnson said, “Early on, I didn’t have any idea. “None. None whatsoever.’

Asked if he figured it out as the round progressed, Johnson said: “I have no idea, and I still don’t know. But I’m going to go try and figure it out when I get to the driving range.’’

Johnson called the day “an unusual day for me,’’ adding, “I haven’t had the driver go this crooked in a long time. It had nothing to do with the driver. It was the drive.’’

Johnson’s most alarming moment came on the par-5 17th hole, where he carded a triple-bogey eight.

“It was a good round, but the triple was just so bad,’’ he said. “I just hit a god-awful shot. I’m trying to hit a high cut and to the right side [and] I hit that ball 70 yards left of where I was looking. In general, if I’m trying to hit a high cut, if anything I’m going to over cut it to the right, and it came off low and hooked.”

“I haven’t hooked a driver in a long time. I just laughed. I literally just laughed the way I hit the shot. I haven’t hit that shot in a long time, so it was kind of funny. Wasn’t funny when I made a triple, though.’’

That was Johnson’s ninth hole of the round (he started on No. 9), and he came home with three birdies on the front nine to get in at 4-under.

“I can figure out a way to get around the golf course like I did [Thursday] even though I didn’t have my best stuff,’’ he said. “My iron play was good. My wedges were good. I can still figure out how to hit those close to the hole, and I did. And once we had made the turn, I think I hit most of the fairways when I was finishing.’’

Phil Mickelson shot a 3-under 68 and was only two shots off the lead despite hitting only three of 14 fairways.

“I fought hard,’’ Mickelson said. “This could easily have been a round that got away from me. I ended up make some putts to keep the round at a good score. I’m going to go to the range and get this thing turned around in a matter of minutes. It’s not far off and I’m going to come out [Friday] morning and shoot a really good round.

“I missed two fairways by a total of four yards on Wednesday. I drove it terrific and thought this was going to be a great day,’’ he went on. “I think it’s more of a mental thing right now than it is the actual swing, because I’ve been driving it great. I think I’ll get it turned around and I’ll have a good three days. ’’

Mickelson, whose form has not been at its peak of late, fell short of being an automatic pick for the Ryder Cup team and is expected to be one of captain Jim Furyk’s four captain’s picks. But he has this week and next to cement that spot.

“I really like this golf course and I love TPC Boston [the course for next week’s Dell Technologies event]. So I’m going to play really well these next two weeks and I’m going to make it an easy decision [for Furyk].’’

A year ago, Hideki Matsuyama entered the FedEx Cup playoffs as the leader in points, and he went on to have a nondescript playoff run, with a missed cut at the Northern Trust, a tie for 23rd at the Dell Technologies, a tie for 47th at the BMW and a tie for 26th at the Tour Championship.

This year, Matsuyama is hoping for the opposite trend as he entered the playoffs ranked 76th in points and opened with a 4-under 67.

“Hopefully the playoffs will be good to me this year,’’ he said.

Brandt Snedeker, who won the Wyndham Championship last week, withdrew before his round Thursday with a chest injury. Grayson Murray withdrew after shooting 78, the highest round of the day.