‘It’s a kick in the nuts!’ Tour star fumes as mistake ends season early

Andrew Johnston’s persistent thumb injury has flared up again. Now, ‘Beef’ tells TG, he’s at a complicated crossroads.

“I’ve been super quiet on here the last couple of months.” It was the first post on Instagram from Andrew Johnston – who is normally incredibly active on social media – since Christmas.

The reason, the DP World Tour winner explained, “is the struggles I’ve had with my hand have hit me mentally”.

‘Beef’, as Johnston is affectionately known, was on a high leaving Wentworth last year. He had just finished in a tie for 40th at the BMW PGA Championship after gaining entry on the morning of the tournament and was still buzzing from a third-place finish at the Omega European Masters a couple of weeks before.

But then his hand started to hurt. The injury that had kept him out for the entirety of the 2022 and ’23 seasons was back. But Johnston was positive. He’d take a few weeks off and return for the new season in November.

Only the pain didn’t go away, and before he knew it he was missing the lucrative Middle East Swing yet again. Now the popular DP World Tour star has been hit with the worst possible news by a specialist in Singapore.

“The scan immediately showed a complete ligament tear,” he tells TG in a phone call from his hotel on the Asian island. “Then I got the full report back and it also showed a partial tear in another two tendons in my thumb. At that stage I was just done.”

Johnston is now facing another dilemma. He’s had platelet-rich plasma – or “PRP” – injections, which involve using a patient’s own blood to help damaged tissue heal. But, as he puts it, “everything is leaning towards surgery”.

“If I drag PRP out for too long, then I won’t be ready for the start of next season in November,” he explains.

“All of a sudden that realization kicks in that I’m facing missing another full season.”

He pauses for thought.

“Are you f***ing kidding me? I wasted three months at the end of last season being misdiagnosed.

“I was so pissed off with that. So angry.

“I had kept asking, ‘Do I need an MRI?’, and everyone was just telling me it wasn’t needed as it was looking alright on the ultrasounds.

“So basically I lost from the start of October until the start of January being told the wrong thing. If I’d found out at the start of that time, I could have had surgery and be back playing by now.

“It gets to me when I think about that, because now I’m looking at next season if these injections don’t go well.

“It’s just a kick in the nuts.”

• PGA Tour star caught up in bizarre rules drama at Bay Hill

• Jason Day reveals Augusta request in bid to avoid another Masters controversy

For now, though, it’s just a case of sitting, waiting and wishing.

“I have to give each injection four to six weeks and I had the first one three weeks ago,” Johnston explains. “But there’s no guarantee.

“Lots of people try to avoid the surgery because of where it is on the thumb. It can be fiddly and delicate, leave scar tissue, and while the thumb might repair, it might not go back to the way it was or recover 100 percent.

“I’ll be honest, I was pushing for the surgery, just get it over and done with, but I’ve listened to the experts because everyone I’ve asked has said to try the PRP and leave surgery as the last resort.”

In the meantime, Johnston says he is working on a more “positive mindset”.

“I had a really low period,” he says. “I had that massive high of being back and then it stopped again.

“The last couple of years I’ve got quite lost where I’ve had so much time off and not having the answers for such a long period of time. I didn’t find other things to do, so I almost wasted that time.

“This time I’ve got experience, I’ve been here before and, while I’m really disappointed that I’m here again and with the way things have happened, I’ve got a positive mindset.

“The average age on tour is getting younger so if I want to be competitive then I need to look after myself,” the 36-year-old says.

“You can see the difference between the guys who’ve looked after themselves and kept themselves in shape as they’ve got older and those who haven’t.

“There are guys still gaining or maintaining their distances and their form because they’ve worked hard of their games and their fitness.  

“I can’t hit balls or work on my game, but I am doing a lot more stuff in the gym, more cardio, so I can get to a good weight and come back fitter and healthier.

“I want to get more flexible, too, so I’ve started yoga – but, Jesus, I am s*** at it! Honestly, I cannot believe how stiff I am. I got asked if I wanted to do classes, but I don’t need anyone seeing that, let alone an instructor.

Still, Johnston finds it tough not to let his mind wander back to the bombshell.

“If I’m honest,” he sighs, “right now I am planning for next season.

“That breaks my heart.”  

• You can read more in Andrew Johnston’s latest column for Today’s Golfer magazine