Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston brings color to U.S. Open

Andrew Johnston admits there isn’t a great story behind the inception of his nickname, “Beef.” When he was 11- or 12-years-old, he grew out his curly hair, prompting the following ribbing from a friend: “Look at you and your big head. [It looks] like it’s a meat head.”

“Meat head” became “beef head,” which was then shortened to “Beef.” The nickname stuck.

While the persona is fully embraced by the 27-year-old Englishman with an unruly beard, a love for the English Premier League’s Arsenal Football Club and an unwavering hankering for barbecue, it took time for Johnston to learn to be himself on the golf course.

“The first year I was out on tour, I didn’t really know like if you had to be a certain way or if I could sort of be a bit more outgoing,” Johnston said, standing outside of the Oakmont Country Club clubhouse Saturday morning after posting a 1-under 69 in the second round.

He aced the 10th hole (and won a free car) at the 2015 BMW PGA Championship, which he celebrated by running off the tee box and chest bumping a friend. When he holed out for eagle on the 18th hole at the 2015 Scottish Open, he copied golfer and playing partner Miguel Angel Jimenez’s signature dance move.

“It was just being me and everyone seemed to like it,” Johnston said. “Then my confidence kind of grew and then the personality kind of comes out a bit more.”

During one of the rain delays on Thursday, Johnston took selfies with fans and used the face-swap feature on Snapchat to place his beard on the faces of fans. The media and social media attention on Beef will only grow as the field shrinks.

Through the first two rounds, Johnston’s cumulative score was 4-over, putting him in a tie for 35th place and on the right side of the cut. He was eight strokes back of the leader, Dustin Johnson.

A win, however unlikely, would be a memorable one for Beef and his ever-growing cult-like following. He recently told ESPN that he’ll “probably be drunk for a week” if he wins the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club this weekend.

After his second round Saturday, he doubled down on his celebration speculation.

“Very true,” Johnston said. “Week, minimum.”