Andrew Johnston preached the value of patience as a third round of 70 at the 2024 D+D REAL Czech Masters kept him in the mix for his first DP World Tour win since 2016.
A day after setting the course record with a 63 at PGA National OAKS Prague, Johnston compiled a quieter round as storms played havoc with Moving Day.
The man affectionately known as “Beef” goes into Sunday two shots behind leader Jesper Svensson, sharing third place with fellow Englishmen Brandon Robinson Thompson and Ross Fisher and France’s Adrien Saddier.
Johnston said of his round: “It was good, had to stay very patient.
“Yesterday everything I looked at went in. It wasn’t the same today, had to stay patient and nice to finish with a three up the last.
“I made a good up and down on 17 for par after a poor tee shot and to finish with birdie always makes dinner taste much better.”
Without a win since the 2016 Real Club Valderrama Open de España, hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation, and having spoken openly about some of the difficulties he has faced in the meantime, Johnston admitted a win would mean “everything”.
“Every week we’re trying to do that, trying to win tournaments,” he said. “We’ll just go out, have fun, see what happens.”
Playing partner Robinson Thompson, coming off a Challenge Tour win at last week’s Farmfoods Scottish Challenge supported by the R&A, shot 69 to stay in the hunt for back-to-back triumphs on different tours.
“Super happy,” he said. “Can’t complain. Three rounds in the 60s so far, it’s nice to continue the good form.
“It was nice to play with Beef and Espen (Kofstad) today, we had a lot of fun. Maybe didn’t have as many putts drop as we would have liked but we’re in a good position and I enjoyed it.
“I had my fair share of chances, good looks at birdie and shaved a couple of holes, but also got up and down a couple of times which was nice. Any day you can shoot in the 60s is a good day.”
Robinson Thompson said a maiden DP World Tour win would be a “dream come true”, adding: “I’ve always dreamed of playing on the DP World Tour, it’s brilliant to be here so yeah, it would mean a lot, it would change a lot.
“It’s why I do it, so I would love it.”
With Sunday’s forecast also featuring plenty in the way of storms, Fisher sounded a note of caution around what is in store.
“Not sure if I’d say looking forward to it, the forecast is pretty horrendous,” he said.
“It could be a day of patience and waiting around, but if we get to go and play then just try to go after it and make as many birdies as we can.”
