Where’s the Beef?

Stephen Gallacher on golf’s bright young thing.

All hail the mighty Beef, one of the great entertainers in European golf and a breath of fresh air for the game.

Andrew Johnston is only 27, but he’s already a winner on tour this season and showed why he’s such a popular character during the British Masters at the Grove.

Don’t be fooled by the smile and willingness to interact with the galleries, Beef is a serious golfer with talent to burn. He’s going to have a terrific career in the game.

But he’s not had it easy. Beef lost his dad 10 years ago and had to find his game again following such a devastating blow.

He can play. Oh, how he can play. Winning the Spanish Open at Valderrama in April showed his ability on one of the toughest courses in Europe.

Thus the legend was born. Beef had to get to a clothes shop pretty quickly after his win to buy a suit so he could enjoy corporate hospitality watching his beloved Arsenal and it is his approach to the game of golf, and life in general, which has made him such a draw.

He would have been frustrated with his tied 28th place finish at the Grove after fading over the weekend, but he was still one of the reasons the tournament was such a roaring success.

Credit goes, too, to broadcasters Sky. They made sure the viewers, both on course and on television, got a lot more to entertain them.

Beef was a big part of the coverage, taking part in several live masterclasses which gave an insight into his approach to the game.

Birdie or bogey, Beef responds to the galleries when he might be tempted to wrap his putter around the nearest tree. We are in the entertainment business after all.

Although that kind of interaction wouldn’t work for every player – I could name one or two who would sooner jump in a lake than get involved in such a way – I applaud his approach and long may it continue.

He has had a brilliant year and is truly a breath of fresh air.

It’s great to see young men performing with a smile on their face. Everybody is different but golf needs colourful characters.

The supporters love to shout his name and have certainly welcomed him with open arms, particularly in America.

As his popularity continues to soar, I certainly think he is a Ryder Cup player of the future.

Aside from his crowdpleasing ways, he is also one heck of a player, one of several Europeans we have coming through.

It was a third European Tour title of the season for Alex Noren, who won the tournament by two shots, and the Swede is certainly putting his name up in lights.

One idea that went down well at the Grove was Tuesday’s Hero Challenge, which was played under the floodlights.

Frenchman Alexander Levy won the one-hole knockout contest with more than 2,000 people watching.

It was refreshing to see some new ideas being tried out at the tournament and I hope the good response encourages more in the future.

“Don’t be fooled by the smile and willingness to interact with the galleries, he’s a serious golfer”

IN THE SWING OF THINGS: Andrew Johnston has become extremely popular but has the ability to carve out a genuinely great career in golf