If you laid all the spectators at the 2015 Farmers Insurance Open golf tourney end to end (assuming they’re an average 5′ 6″), they’d stretch from San Diego to Pasadena. Absolutely no kidding. That’s a stratospheric 114 miles, and it’s a testament to the tournament’s prestige. More than 110,000 saw at least part of last year’s action on the south course at Torrey Pines Golf Course, where San Diego’s most notable outdoor sporting event has been held since 1968. In all that while, volunteerism at the tournament has become its own industry. An army of 100,000 donates its time and talent at PGA events nationwide every year, with the Farmers tilt commanding the help of 850 volunteers over about 28,000 hours. Press materials, grandstand preparation, patron seating and maintenance are among the areas ripe for staffing – indeed, some take up player transport duties in hopes of rubbing elbows with the giants of the game. Enter La Jolla resident and transportation volunteer Bill Jenkins, whose curiosity has brought him to the tournament for the first time. He’s played a few holes in his 65 years, though he’s not particularly a golfer (his native St. Paul isn’t exactly a duffer’s paradise this time of year). But as the 2016 Farmers installment unfolds from Jan. 28 to 31, he’ll be shuttling the competitors primarily as an expression of community spirit on his and the Open’s behalves. “Do you know they have GPS marking the spot of every ball now?” Jenkins said with some surprise. “[Officials] know whose ball it is and exactly how far it went. There are GPS coordinates all over the course.” The technology is the fun part for him, he said in recounting his work as cofounder of Oakland’s Scientific Learning Corporation, a maker of educational software. “But the real reason I volunteered,” he added, “is because of the benefit to the community. It’s a privilege giving back, and I appreciate what the tournament does for charities.” Chief among the local benefactors is Century Club of San Diego, a nonprofit group organized to promote the Open. The club’s annual net earnings go solely to charitable purposes, with a focus on local at-risk youth and youth charities. Under the aegis of the Century Club, the Open distributed $3.1 million to more than 200 charities in 2015; meanwhile, the club’s support often goes to The Monarch School, the only American school for students who are homeless or impacted by homelessness. The tournament’s Volunteer Challenge, explained club executive director and tournament head Peter Ripa, is a voter competition designed to recognize the volunteers’ commitment. Volunteers reach out to family, friends and co-workers and encourage them to vote for their efforts at pgatour.com/Volunteers. The volunteer with the most votes earns the opportunity to present a $10,000 check to his or her charity of choice from a list provided by the tournament. “Everything that occurs outside the ropes, including transportation and fan experience, is the responsibility of the Century Club,” Ripa said of the Open. “The volunteers make sure the fans and players enjoy their time here. They’re also part of the impact we can provide so that the community has a better understanding of the charities.” The Tour has donated more than $2.14 billion nationwide in charitable contributions to date. The Farmers leg could help boost those coffers – this year, the tournament will be shown live on 110 channels in 13 languages worldwide, with potential exposure to 405 million households. It will also be broadcast on CBS, whose San Diego affiliate is KFMB, Ch. 8. Meanwhile, the club’s emphasis on people presumably strikes a chord with Jenkins – he volunteers at Torrey Pines Elementary School, which his son attends, and he likes the interactive prospect behind squiring the golfers from station to station. “I’m a pretty social person,” he said about the volunteer area he’s chosen, “so I figured I’d enjoy my effort if I was in a role that had more social interaction.” If Jason Day or Phil Mickelson wind up in Jenkins’ care, it’s their gain. Little do they know that their driver’s community spirit speaks for the rest of us. For more information on the tournament, see farmersinsuranceopen.com.