Is Andrew Beef Johnson Sponsored by Arby's
On Golf
Golfer Known as 'Beef' Has PB&J and No Complaints
ERIN, Wis. — It was 18 minutes past seven in the morning on Friday, dreadfully early for the fun-loving golfer Andrew Johnston. He had had to rush through his breakfast omelet and cereal to allow ample time to warm up for the second round of the United States Open.
As Johnston made his way to the 10th tee for his first hole of the day, he asked his manager, Shaun Reddin, to fetch a couple of sandwiches. Without being told, Reddin knew exactly which kind to get.
After hitting his drive, Johnston, known since his adolescent days as Beef, walked down the fairway and retrieved the four peanut-butter-and-grape-jelly sandwiches Reddin had tossed in his direction.
"It's a long walk out there; I wanted to make sure I had enough in the bag," said Johnston, who added that he "loves" peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches. Fortified by one of the snacks, Johnston briefly got within three strokes of the lead, at four under, after a birdie on his 14th hole. He made bogeys on the next two holes and settled for a second-round 73 and a 36-hole total of two-under 142.
"Kind of in the position I want to be in going into the weekend," said Johnston, a Londoner who has been described as Britain's answer to an American good ol' country boy.
It figures that a kid's sandwich would suit Johnston's tastes. His enormous popularity is rooted in the childlike joy he brings to golf — and life. Johnston, 28, is 5 feet 11 inches and 220 pounds, with a beard that is thicker and longer than Erin Hills' fescue grass. He looks less like a player who finished eighth at the 2016 British Open than a high handicapper who shows up to play during twilight rates at the municipal course around the corner.
"Beef takes his golf seriously, but he doesn't take himself so seriously," said Rob Lynch, the chief marketing officer of Arby's.
Lynch didn't know Johnston from the actor Dwayne Johnson 12 months ago. Lynch was eating a postround meal at a golf course last July while a television in the background was tuned to third-round highlights from the British Open at Royal Troon. Lynch's ears perked up when he heard the chant "Beef, Beef" coming from the direction of the screen. He glanced up in time to see a man waving to the crowd who looked as if he was with the band ZZ Top.
That was Johnston. In that moment, Lynch realized he had found the next brand ambassador for Arby's, never mind that the fast-food chain doesn't have any restaurants in Johnston's native Britain.
"I saw this guy walking down the fairway, high-fiving fans, and he looked so happy to be there," Lynch said. "I was so inspired. I didn't know anything about him, but I knew we had to get him."
Within four days, Lynch had made contact with Johnston and signed him to be the man behind Arby's "the meats" campaign.
Johnston's good-natured personality weathered a momentum-killing bogey Friday on the par-3 sixth. His tee shot stopped short of the green, and with the pin tucked into the back left quadrant, he had a long and tricky line to the hole. He putted to inside 8 feet only to miss his par attempt.
As he walked off the green, a fan shouted, "Beef!" Johnston made eye contact with the person and flashed a thumbs-up sign. In the gallery, Johnston's girlfriend, Louise Jay, was not surprised by his relative good cheer.
"At the end of the day, golf is not his whole world," she said. "It's his job. He's going to enjoy it as much as possible. Because it's just a bogey; especially now that all these bad things are going on at home, he knows that a bogey is nothing, and people don't want to see him grizzly and grumpy."
Johnston, ranked No. 116, has one European Tour victory. His highest finish in a regular PGA Tour event is a tie for 10th at this year's Puerto Rico Open. He appreciates that even though golf is his livelihood, for the fans, it is an escape from the violence and tragedies making headlines all around the world, including some in his own backyard.
"If people see me as 'Beef,' the fun person, or they've come to watch the golfer, I'm not fussy, man, as long as people are having a good time," Johnston said, adding, "The more I can give back, the better."
During his round of 69 on Thursday, Johnston said, a fan cried, "Beef, look here." Johnston said he had laughed out loud when he glanced over to see a man pointing at his beard, which grew to his navel. Johnston was branded with the nickname Beefhead as a child — soon shortened to Beef — not because he enjoyed gorging on red meat (though he does), but because his hair grew out in all directions.
So he is a pushover for the hirsute in his midst. On Friday, a bearded Chicagoan named Danny Brennan followed Johnston's round from behind the gallery ropes. Asked why he had chosen to watch Johnston, Brennan said, "He's just such a personable guy, and he seems very genuine about it."
Brennan was standing several yards from the scoring area as he spoke. He had been singled out to meet Johnston for reasons that were unclear to him. After they had exchanged hugs, Johnston presented Brennan with a sealed envelope.
Brennan opened it and his eyes grew wide. According to the piece of paper he held in his hand, he had just won an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2017 British Open at Royal Birkdale in England, courtesy of "Beef."
"It's a golden ticket!" Johnston exclaimed, evoking the prize that earned children entry to Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. Brennan tried to speak a complete sentence but sputtering sounds came out. What had he done to deserve this?
Johnston smiled. He wasn't about to reveal his secrets. But it probably wasn't a coincidence that in Brennan's bearded expression of genuine joy, Johnston saw himself.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/16/sports/golf/us-open-andrew-beef-johnston.html
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