He didn’t win the Omega European Masters (Congrats to Matt Wallace, by the way), but Andrew “Beef” Johnston was the story of the week in Switzerland.
Remember Beef? Make that BEEEEEEF! I certainly do from being at the 2016 Open Championship where he emerged as the crowd favourite well ahead of Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson.
If you weren’t at Royal Troon, it’s hard to describe just what a phenomenon he was. But after earning his PGA Tour card and becoming the face of a new Arby’s campaign (Get it? Beef?), Johnson dealt with injuries and mental-health struggles stemming from his sudden rise to fame.
When the Open returned to Troon this summer, Beef was instead in the field at the Barracuda Championship, missing the cut. But after falling outside the top 2,000 in the Official World Golf Ranking just three months ago, he’s strung together four straight solid performances on the DP World Tour, including a solo third in Switzerland. And not surprisingly, the 35-year-old was pretty emotional after.
"We're a massive team. It's not just me, it's everyone else. It's so nice to have everyone here!" 🙌@BeefGolf recorded his highest finish (T3) since the Celtic Classic back in August 2020.
It's great to have you back, Beef 💪#OEM2024 pic.twitter.com/yrFYVqDSXl
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) September 9, 2024
“A lot of relief,” Johnston said. “It’s been a tough couple years.” Good for you, Andrew. And golf fans should be relieved as well, because the pro game is much better when this guy is around.