Beef out to enjoy his second bite at Majors golf
AMERICANS love their steak, but Andrew Johnston will bring a little bit of English beef to the US Open.
One of the most colourful players on the European Tour, Johnston, nicknamed Beef, can’t wait to get out there and entertain the US golf fans.
He came through qualifying at Walton Heath to take his place at Oakmont for only his second Major appearance, and first since playing in The Open in 2011.
The Englishman is enjoying a fine season and enjoyed his breakthrough victory at the Spanish Open at Valderrama in April as he survived a testing week on arguably Europe’s toughest course.
That should stand him in good stead for Oakmont, which is regarded as the hardest on the US Open rota.
“I was so excited when I played in The Open,” he says. “But I got caught up in everything and missed the cut.
“Now I’m a different golfer and I want to go there and do well. But I know Oakmont is going to be brutal.
“Everyone will make bogeys this week so I have to stay relaxed about that. My No.1 rule in Spain was not to get angry with myself if I had a bad hole and I’m trying to adopt that for every tournament.”
Beef celebrated his Spanish Open success with a big fancy dress party surrounded by family and friends at his home club, North Middlesex, and the Londoner is happy to admit he’s one of the luckiest guys around.
“Virtually everyone knows me as ‘Beef’,” he jokes. “Only my mum and my girlfriend when she’s angry with me, call me Andrew!
“I was given the nickname at 12 at school because being a quarterJamaican, I had a big mop of curly hair. My friend called me ‘Beef-head’ and it’s just stuck.
“Fans in Sweden and at Wentworth have been shouting that at me and hopefully I’ll hear it at Oakmont. I was interviewed on the Golf Channel in America after my win in Spain and I had a great reaction from fans over there, so I plan on going over and enjoying it.
“I’m so lucky to have the chance to play golf, let alone on the European Tour, and you don’t know how long it will last.
“If you’re not having fun on the course, what’s the point? I’m being myself – that’s what I would do if was playing back home with my mates.
“Obviously, we’re out there to compete but I can still have fun and make it memorable for those watching.”