Claret Jug brings best out of Beef
LAST year Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston won hearts at the Open. This time he wants the Claret Jug.
While Henrik Stenson took golf’s most prestigious prize, Johnston attracted an army of followers like the Pied Piper of Royal Troon.
Mesmerised by the bearded boy who marched to a different hip-hop beat to your average golfer, the portly burger-loving lad they call ‘Beef’ is the new cult hero of his sport.
But take away the images of him trudging the fairways looking like a lost lumberjack, waving at the crowd as they chanted “Beeeeef” to his every step.
Underneath lurks a fierce competitor. He would never have made the Tour without that drive. So as much as the 28-year-old looks forward to reconnecting with fans when the Open begins at Royal Birkdale on Thursday, his main target is improving on last year’s eighth-place finish.
Beef said: “The golf comes first and the rest that comes with it only comes because the golf is good.
“So the image of Beef will never overshadow Andrew the golfer – the guy who always wants to win.
“I had no idea it was going to get this crazy with all the attention, but you have to take it in your stride to play good golf.
“The first rule is to come in and make sure you prep well and when it’s time to tee it up, always give 100 per cent.
“The following I get is unbelievable and I wouldn’t want to change that for the world. But I know what I expect of myself when I go out and play.”