“Frustrating Finish”: English Pro Golfer Reflects on Mistakes That Cost Him Austrian Alpine Open Lead
Jun 11, 2014; Pinehurst, NC, USA; Silhouettes of golfers on the driving range during a practice round for the U.S. Open golf tournament at Pinehurst No. 2 at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 11, 2014; Pinehurst, NC, USA; Silhouettes of golfers on the driving range during a practice round for the U.S. Open golf tournament at Pinehurst No. 2 at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
English professional golfer Andrew “Beef” Johnson was playing his best golf going into the weekend at the 2026 Austrian Alpine Open, but he suffered a disappointing start to the weekend.
Golfclub Kitzbühel-Schwarzsee-Reith saw an unexpected fall from grace for the European Tour pro. After Round 3 on Saturday, Johnson sat four shots behind leader Kota Kaneko, who finished at 65. Johnson spoke to the media about his disappointment after the round, per a video by the DP World Tour on X.
"Frustrating. Frustrating finish. Too many mistakes. For some reason I missed another tap-in, nearly missed two today somehow."
Coming down the leaderboard after surging to the top was frustrating indeed, as Round 2 saw Johnson at the top. Beef carded the lowest score of the day at -8, but struggled to maintain his pace during Round 3
Johnson carded 62 in the second round, his first since the 2019 Scottish Open. But the Englishman acknowledged the basic errors he made in his game on Saturday in the following round.
“Coming in one or two under, right at the top near the lead, but going into the final day four shots behind rather than two you would say is the frustrating bit. Just making basic mistakes, you know.”
But his Round 3 performance did not discourage him from a title charge, as he spoke of starting afresh for the final round on Sunday, May 31.
"But I've got to be kind to myself as well. It's been a long time (since I've been) up in the last groups. I thought I handled it well, so rock on tomorrow!"
And he should be optimistic, as Round 3 might have been a one-off. He hopes to carry forward his Round 2 momentum into the final round.
Andrew Johnson Plays Some of His Best Golf in Round 2
Johnson has won five times professionally, including two wins on the Challenge Tour and one on the European Tour. While his form in the recent past hasn’t been noteworthy, his last round of 62 occurred in the final round of the 2019 Scottish Open, granting him a top 10 finish.
Round 1 at the Austrian Alpine Open saw a resurgence of his 2019 golf excellence.
Johnson finished on Friday with an incredible scorecard. Round 2 saw him at -8, making five birdies on the front nine, with just one bogey on hole 4. He made birdies on Holes 1, 3, 5, 6, and 9!
He refused to slow down on the back nine, carding -4 once again. His performance on Friday allowed him to go into the weekend at -11, at the very top of the leaderboard. He was closely followed by Rafa Cabrera Bello, Calum Hill, and Kota Kaneko, all of whom sat at 10 under.
While Round 3 was not kind to Johnson, he looks forward to working on his mistakes for the final round.
Do you think Andrew Johnson will be able to find his rhythm again and clinch victory at the 2026 Austrian Alpine Open? Let us know in the comments.
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