Andrew “Beef” Johnston Battled Through Struggles to Return to The Open Championship

Golf is great because you can have some obscure players that rise from nothing to become fan favorites for life. One of those fan favorites who seemed to disappear is making his way back at Royal Portrush.

If you don’t remember Andrew “Beef” Johnston, he’s the English born player that burst onto the scene in 2016 with a breakout season that saw him finish in the top ten of The Open Championship that year. His strong play along with his eccentric personality (plus his fantastic nickname) made him a fan favorite, but recently he seems to have faded away out of the limelight.

That fade looks like it’s over, however, as Beef has made his way back to The Open Championship after firing off a career-low 62 in the final round of the Scottish Open, which was just good enough to punch his ticket Royal Portrush.

It will be Johnston’s first major this season and only his second appearance in a major in the past two years.

Raw emotion and honesty ❤️

The road to recovery continues for @BeefGolf. #ASIScottishOpen #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/AacT9nT6F4

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) July 14, 2019

For Beef, this was even more amazing because of the struggles he has faced. He documented a lot of those struggles on the European Tour blog a few weeks ago but went into it more after his finish in Scotland.

“It’s a nice feeling,” he said, wiping away tears. “I guess it’s been a hard year. So yeah, I’m happy. I’ve tried so hard in the last year. To come out and shoot a round like that is such a nice feeling.”

Much of the struggles that Beef has faced were emotional and mental after such a meteoric rise and an equally fast fall. He visited with a psychologist and took some time away from the game but says it was all beneficial and got him to where he is today. And he has plenty to look forward too because off of the golf course, he got engaged and is now expecting a child.

It’s sad to see the rollercoaster highs and lows that Johnston has gone through since he first reached stardom but we’re happy to see him back in competitive action and thriving. Hopefully, Beef can put together a solid showing at Royal Portrush and keep himself in the upper echelon of the golf circles.