There might be no sign of respite in golf's civil war right now, but Andrew 'Beef' Johnston has spent the most divisive period in the sport's history exploring a different kind of opportunity.
The popular Englishman has been ruled out of action since injuring his thumb at the Portugal Masters in November, meaning he's been on the outside while the Saudi-backed LIV tour has wreaked havoc on the status quo. But the 33-year-old hasn't let his layoff go to waste - instead cooking up his own project to inspire barbecue lovers.
Speaking to Mirror Sport, the charismatic Johnston, who shot to stardom in 2016 with an eighth-placed finish at The Open Championship, talked excitedly about his new YouTube venture, titled BBQ Better With Beef. But he also had his say on the saga threatening to rip his sport apart, with LIV stars controversially permitted to play at this week's BWM PGA Championship.
“I don’t think you can blame players that go," said Johnston, who has previously admitted he would 'consider' any offer that came from Norman and co. "Ok, the top, top players, they’re making stacks already. But if you’re going to offer another player £200 million it’s very hard to turn down.
“And if you’re offering players who have played maybe 10, 15 years, on the PGA and European Tour, or you're one of the guys nearing 50, well there’s not going to be that money with the seniors. So if you’re on the decline, then how can you turn it down?"
However, the Barnet-based star believes that those who defect shouldn't enjoy the best of both worlds: "What I don’t think they should do - if you’ve made the decision [to go], get paid that sum of the money, then just go and play and enjoy your life - I don’t see the point in coming back.
Johnston starts new BBQ Better with Beef Series
"Playing PGA and European Tour events after you’ve made that decision, I can’t get my head around that. If someone offered me £20 or 30 million, and said we’re going to play 20 events during the year, then I’d decide whether to make that decision to jump ship and go.
“I don’t think you should then go back and fight it and start taking stuff to court and all. There’s no doubt that the players who move over will miss playing some of the biggest tournaments, the majors, you’ve got Wentworth on this week, they’ll miss playing it because you just can’t buy the atmosphere and history of those tournaments.”
Johnston, 33, also confirmed that the LIV dilemma is not one he's had to tackle personally as yet. Asked if he's been the subject of an approach, he replied: “No not at all. Obviously I’ve been on the sidelines injured so to be honest, it’s been quite nice staying out the way of it."
But staying out the way of one of his undoubted loves, has paved the way for him to embrace another. And he explained how his injury, which scuppered his plans to push for a 2023 Ryder Cup place, inadvertently opened another window of opportunity.
“I always want to follow my passions and my loves. I love my sport and I love my food," he said. "I'm making a series to share with people all the little tips and tricks. If I don’t make any money I don’t really care, if it does really well and it turns out to be a TV series, Netflix, whatever, great. I just want to share it with as many people as I possibly can."
Johnston, who is also starting his own podcast, titled Beef's Golf Club, also made an amusing comparison about performing under pressure in cooking and on the golf course: “It’s similar man," he said. "If you’ve got some friends coming round and you buy a really nice piece of steak and you’re thinking s**t, if I overcook this!
"It’s no different to standing there going ‘ah I need this putt to either make the cut, or I need to hole it to win a tournament.' Obviously there’s no parallel with the nerves but it’s the same feeling in that you don’t want to f**k it up.”
Regardless of how he performs, fans can expect the likeable Johnston to put his heart and soul into his new adventure. And like when on course, he'll undoubtedly do so with a smile on his face.
