Andrew “Beef” Johnston is anxiously awaiting a test for the injury that brought an early end to his DP World Tour season and has called on the golfing world to develop a more balanced schedule.
The Englishman has been forced to withdraw from the French Open in Paris with a sore thumb for much of the past two seasons and is now praying the same problem doesn't reoccur.
Specialized with today's golfer In his regular column, the 35-year-old revealed his “paranoia” over his latest setback as he prepared for a scan, on a day when he was due to compete in the Andalusia Masters in Spain.
He had a largely positive season, including a third-place finish at the Omega European Masters, his best result since 2020, and was optimistic about the season-ending event in the Middle East before announcing an unexpected end to the season. There are high hopes for the tournament.
In this engaging read, he also provides insight into the highs and lows of his past weeks, calling on European golf bosses to address “schedule overload” and urging them to put the needs of players first at the end of the season A complete winter break is introduced. The season is over.
Oh, the highs and lows of golf! It's been a month. From a last-second call-up to the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth to the disappointment of another injury ending his season early.
Before we get down to the serious stuff, I need to address the elephant in the room… In my last column, I said I regretted not playing the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. Now, the eagle-eyed among you will have noticed that I'm competing in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. I'm not trying to trick you or beat my opponents – things change fast in golf!
When I wrote that article on the Tuesday of championship week, I wasn't there and was getting ready for a relaxing spa break with my wife, Judy. When it went to print on Wednesday, I still wasn't there…not even next in line. Then, at 7am on Thursday morning, as I dozed off on a king-size bed in our Hampshire resort, where my fellow pros were playing their first rounds, I got the call from DP World Tour, Told me I had a spot due to withdrawal…if I could get the 9.35am kick-off! The massage will have to wait…sorry Judy!
A lot of things went well that week. Jesse (Beef's friend and caddy) was also enjoying his week off, but he got up early and happened to be looking at his phone when Judy called and told him to hit the road to Wentworth! He happened to live near my mum and that's where I kept my clubs and clothes and they were still zipped in my flight bag after I flew back from the Irish Open and managed to get there and get there. Despite the chaos caused by rush hour traffic, the task was completed in a timely manner. Oddly enough, traffic was kind to us too and we arrived in Surrey with 25 minutes to go.
I hadn't played since missing out in Ireland last Friday, but during the quick warm-up I played well, although Jesse hadn't been to Wentworth since he was a kid, let alone walked the course and Did his usual preparation, it was a course I was familiar with, so he was able to find his bearings in the first round.
It ended up being a great week. You may have seen the video of Jesse and I pumping our fists while making a birdie putt on the 18th holeth I felt even more pressure than usual on Friday night's leaderboard because I wanted so badly to take advantage of the opportunity…and make sure Judy and I didn't give up some quality downtime for no reason. After a great round on Sunday I ended up tied for 40th, with some Race to Dubai points and enough cash to replace a spa break!
Little did I know that the game I wasn’t supposed to play would end up being my last game of the season. The following week I flew to the Spanish Open but had to withdraw because I had a problem with my neck – nothing serious, it just didn't feel right. It also took me out of the Dunhill Links – which I wasn't too upset about because it wasn't my kind of event. The course and venue were always great, but it was always slow, usually cold, and I never played well in them.
I went to Paris intending to play at Roland Garros, but when I was practicing my shots, my thumb (the one that had been bothering me for two years) hurt, so I had to withdraw again.
As I write this I will be having it scanned later this week and I'm just praying it's not too serious. After everything I'd been through before, the paranoia was definitely there. I've written about it before, but there were times during that layoff when I truly thought I'd never play again, and since coming back I've received so much love and am so grateful to have another chance. I have tonsillitis, so I almost expected the infection to spread and cause something to appear on my thumb, rather than something more dangerous. But regardless of the scan results, I've decided that the Genesis Championship in South Korea has sounded the alarm and that's the end of the season.
It's a shame because I really wanted to have a good few weeks and compete in those Middle Eastern events, but, assuming the scans come back good, all my attention will turn to next season. I want to get in shape and build muscle and strength – that's not something I can do while playing on the road. It's probably a blessing to have that break and get that time because when you're playing there's no respite.
I've been saying this for years – the DP World Tour schedule needs some thought. I do not understand. I looked at the beginning of the year and thought the balance was good, but the rear end, from Prague to now, needs improvement. Name another sport where the season ends on Sunday and the next begins immediately, especially one that requires a lot of travel and preparation and is (hopefully!) in the heat of battle four days a week. Overloading is just stupid. I know there's a short summer break every year, but I'd rather they take away some of that time and add some breaks during that time since there's been 10 or 11 big events in a row here. Even if you're in top shape while flying and playing, you won't be able to keep it off for weeks. If you're not at your best, it can feel brutal because you can't reset, you just keep trying again and again and again, hoping to find a spark.
I would like to see the season end in Dubai in late November and start again in the new year, rather than ending in the UAE on November 17 and starting again in Australia on November 21. If we want to get there in time for acclimatization and practice, we need to fly out of Dubai by Sunday night or Monday at the latest. Gives us a chance to get away, evaluate our season, reset, recover, make some swing changes, test some new equipment and be ready to go again.
I know we have the option to skip events, but when your form is on the line or you want to qualify for end-of-season events, it takes a lot of mental strength and confidence to do that. They are both quality events not to be missed. But they were too close and too late in the season. I really like the French Open, Irish Open, Scottish Open, British Open schedule. It feels like now is the right time to host these events, the courses are playing at their best and this is good for the quality of the course. Take Wentworth for example – it’s our flagship event but it’s two or three weeks late. They didn't want to start the tournament with two tee boxes, and daylight faded quickly, so the field was limited. I don't understand how the biggest event has 128 people attending. It should be 156.
It's complicated because there's pressure from organizers to hold events when they want and to travel to certain parts of the world, but I think it's also good for the quality of the venues. In fact, many players will choose to skip the December event because they need some downtime. I've only played these tournaments this year because I came back and wanted to play some golf, but I've only played them a few times because I needed to reset. It's a privilege to be able to do what we do, but we're only human and the current schedule doesn't put the interests of the players first.
About the author
Andrew Johnston – professional golfer and podcaster
Andrew Johnston, better known as “Beef,” is a professional golfer on the DP World Tour and has also played on the PGA Tour and in three of the four men's major championships.
The Briton, who won the Real Club Valderrama Open de España in 2016, has his own YouTube channel and is the owner and co-host of the popular Beef's Golf Club podcast. today's golfer Written by John Robbins. He also tried his hand at the Open and Ryder Cup in the dugout and in front of the camera.
Beef is a player for the Cobra Puma team, coached by Jamie Gough, and a fan favorite. As well as golf, he is a huge fan of Arsenal Football Club and lives in Portugal with his wife Judy and daughter Harry.
