'What will be will be' - Andrew Johnston taking the pressure off as comeback continues

Andrew Johnston took another step on his long comeback trail with his lowest DP World Tour round in over 18 months on day one of the Volvo China Open.

The fan favourite is making just his 23rd start in the last five seasons at Enhance Anting Golf Club, having sat out the entirety of 2022 and played just once in 2023 and 2025.

Earlier this year, it was revealed he had a complete ligament tear and a partial tear in two other tendons in his thumb after a series of earlier misdiagnoses.

After months of recovery since undergoing the second of two surgeries in as many years, the 37-year-old made a welcome return to action at last season’s Genesis Championship in South Korea.

This week is his sixth start of the 2026 season on a medical exemption and after missing four of his previous five cuts, the man known as Beef revealed a change in attitude had contributed to his opening 66.

“I tried to stay really relaxed,” he said. “I looked over the few events that I’ve played the last couple of months and I’ve gone in probably expecting way too much.

“The golf game has felt good in practice and then I’ve come out on the golf course and I’ve been really uptight and tense and trying to force a score too much.

“I said to (caddie) Jess (McAvoy) today, ‘I’m just going to try and hit the shots and we’re going to giggle the whole way round and have a good time’.

“It clearly works a lot better than being uptight and anxious and trying to force a score.”

He added: “It’s not a new outlook, it’s one you’ve got to keep revisiting. It’s so easy to get caught up and try and push too hard. I’m only trying to do the right things but probably in the wrong way.

“It’s just really subtle. You’ve got to go out there and it’s a case of you care but you don’t really care and finding that middle balance.

“If you hit a poor shot or mess up a hole, you’re like, ‘I’m just going to go to the next one’. It’s easier said than done sometimes and you forget that when you’re playing.

“Looking back, I’m trying to catch up with all the injuries. I feel behind and the golf game feels behind so I’m trying to put more pressure on catching up and that’s the kind of balance I’ve come out with today – what will be will be.”

Johnston made two bogeys and seven birdies – with a holed bunker shot on the fifth and a stunning approach to the eighth the highlights – and was happy with his day’s work in Shanghai.

“I hit it good off the tee,” he said. “I hit a lot of fairways today. Once you put it on the fairways here there’s quite a lot of wedge shots in and the putter was much better.

“It was all-round solid today.”