Sign In

Latest News

“Where’s the Beef? Andrew Johnston is staging a comeback nearly 5,000 miles from where he had ‘the best week of my golfing career.’

“Where’s the Beef? Andrew Johnston is staging a comeback nearly 5,000 miles from where he had ‘the best week of my golfing career.’

TROON, Scotland – Eight years ago, during the last British Open at Royal Troon, Andrew Johnston became the media darling of the championship.

“Want to pick me up?” Johnston quipped to a reporter who inquired about his weight during a media session that week.

Describing the pizza he devoured after the first round, he remarked, “It wasn’t one of those 20-inch ‘Win a T-shirt if you finish it’ challenges.”

While Henrik Stenson clinched the Claret Jug, the cheerful Johnston, affectionately known as Beef since childhood, captured the hearts of golf fans worldwide by finishing eighth, aided by a final-round 68, and entering the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking at No. 89.

“It was the best week of my golfing career,” Johnston reflected this week.

Reporter Nick Lozito, who interviewed Johnston before the tournament and penned an insightful piece on his Substack, revealed that Johnston recently stumbled upon an Instagram reel from that Troon week. It showcased his arrival under the first-tee grandstands to chants of “Beef! Beef! Beef!”

“That was an incredible experience,” Johnston told Lozito. “I’m still almost speechless. Everywhere I’ve traveled since then — whether in America, across Europe, Australia, or South Africa — the fans and crowds have been amazing.”

This week, the 35-year-old Englishman finds himself a continent and nearly 5,000 miles away from the 152nd Open, striving to revive his career. He’s currently competing in Truckee, California, at the Barracuda Championship, a co-sanctioned event on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. After a season on the PGA Tour in 2017-18, Johnston lost his card and then battled a thumb injury that required multiple surgeries, sidelining him for most of 2021-22 and plummeting his world ranking to No. 1,932 by late 2023.

“I wasn’t sure if I’d ever play golf again,” Johnston admitted late last year. Upon his return, he withdrew from a tournament in South Africa due to a back injury.

Lozito reported that Johnston later reunited with childhood friend Jess McAvoy, who had caddied for him in the past, at their home course, North Middlesex in London, convincing McAvoy to leave his job and caddie for him once more.

Andrew Johnston currently stands at 13 under through 36 holes at the Albertsons Boise Open.

The Englishman also shared a moment with a fan at the Albertsons Boise Open. He earned his PGA Tour card via the Korn Ferry Tour Finals in 2017.

Johnston returned to the DP World Tour in June, initially missing his first two cuts. However, his performance improved in subsequent events, placing him in the top 40 and elevating him nearly 800 spots in the world rankings to 1,245 before he headed to the United States. It’s a stark contrast from the peak days of Beef Mania when the golfing world couldn’t get enough of him.

Lozito wrapped up his article by describing Johnston sitting in the shade before his Wednesday pro-am round, where his three amateur partners eagerly shook his hand.

“Would you mind if I call you ‘Beef?'” one of them asked.

Johnston chuckled infectiously, as Lozito noted, “I’d be offended if you didn’t.”

Related Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *