Monday 17 October 2016 12:45, UK
After hosting another successful series of Live Masterclasses at the British Masters, Nick Dougherty pays tribute to Andrew "Beef" Johnston and backs him to deliver on the course as well as off it.
Andrew Johnston had a rough day on the course on Saturday, a day which started with him one off the lead but a 73 left him eight strokes adrift of Alex Noren. Yet he still pitched up for a pitching session to round off our hugely-successful Live Masterclass series, and he was as entertaining as ever.
That's Beef, and that's why we love him. Everyone wants a piece of Beef, so to speak, and we're really grateful to him and the European Tour for getting him into the Masterclass. I knew he would because he's a class act, regardless of what he shoots.
His insights were really good as well, particularly when he was sharing his thought processes on shot selection around the greens. Everyone is used to watching great shots on TV, and they always get to see the best players playing well. But Beef spoke so well about how he takes his medicine after a tough shot rather than going for glory and causing more damage to the scorecard.
I know that most people at home, and I'm including myself in this, would rather go for the "hail Mary" all the time rather than take the sensible option when you're in trouble. Even when you're right on top of your game like Andrew is, you need to realise that some shots are too tough to take on and risk bring a double bogey or worse into the equation.
When Beef was talking about playing smart, it was good for people to hear that from someone of that calibre. Beef's chipping masterclass was great, as you'd expect, and the huge crowds around the 18th green really appreciated being able to see him close up.
But what the viewers did not see on Saturday night was what Andrew did after the cameras had stopped rolling. He's done a lot for us, and everybody else this week, and he was given the option of exiting via the "back door" and straight to his hotel room so he could take it easy after a tough day.
This is Beef we're talking about, so he declined that and insisted on spending time with the fans. He signed every single autograph and we lost count of how many selfies there were. It was cold, it was dark, and yet he was there until the end and the crowd all left happy. To do that, even when there's now cameras around, is what makes him a superstar.
Andrew has been a hugely-popular figure for some time now, and sometimes it can be overlooked that he's actually a world-class golfer. His popularity has overshadowed his abilities as a golfer to some extent, and his reputation goes beyond his golf game.
He has a big following wherever in the world he tees it up and he's as popular as the likes of Rickie Fowler - everyone interested in golf knows who Beef is, even in America. And they will be seeing a lot more of him in the States next season as he has just earned his PGA Tour card.
He is not going to live up to his reputation yet in terms of results because his career is still relatively young, but his time will come. Andrew won in Spain earlier this year and he will win a lot more tournaments.
I'm absolutely certain that, in time, his golf game will live up to his popularity. He does so many things well, not just in his attitude, but in his technique as well. Beef has a complete golf game, and he has what it takes to flourish.
The Beef will deliver on the course as well as off it.
