Andrew Johnston: A look at the career of new Open de Espana champion

By Ali Stafford

Image: Andrew Johnston topped the leaderboard the Open de Espana

Andrew Johnston became the latest first-time winner on the European Tour when he claimed a one-shot victory at the Open de Espana. We look back at that triumph to pick out the facts and stats behind his biggest result to date.

Record week

By topping the leaderboard on one over, Johnston becomes the first player to win a regular event with an over par score since Ian Woosnam's 1996 Scottish Open triumph.

Victory also makes him the ninth Englishman to lift the Open de Espana title and the second in as many years, following on from James Morrison's four-shot win last time around.

Image: Johnston claimed a one-shot win at Valderrama

Johnston's in good company on the list of players to have made Spain's national tournament their first European Tour success, with Arnold Palmer and Padraig Harrington among those to have done so.

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Landmark win

Previously a two-time champion on the Challenge Tour, Johnston's best performance on the main tour until his Valderrama victory was a third-placed finish at the Alfred Dunhill Championship in December 2014, where he ended nine shots back from Branden Grace.

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Johnston had only ever posted two other top-10s on the European Tour, ending the Turkish Airlines Open in 10th spot during last year's Final Series and taking a tie-for-fourth at January's Qatar Masters.

Image: The Englishman held off Joost Luiten and Sergio Garcia during the final round

Down to world No 233 prior to this week's win, Johnston's last appearance had been at February's Perth International, where he closed his sixth tournament in seven weeks tied-15th. 

A celebration specialist

Johnston has been known to show off his fun side out on the golf course during his early European Tour career, unleashing some memorable moves along the way.

A hole-in-one at last year's BMW PGA Championship not only saw Johnston win a brand new BMW, but saw Beef mark his ace by chest-bumping a friend in the gallery.

Andrew Johnston enjoyed mimicking Miguel Angel Jimenez's celebration at Gullane

Better was to follow two months later at the Scottish Open, where he followed a hole-out eagle playing alongside Miguel Angel Jimenez by replicating the Spaniard's signature jig. Top moves indeed.

What the win means

Although victory won't see Johnston better his career-high of world No 105, it will see him make a significant rise up the world rankings and move inside the top 130.

The €333,330 is his highest tournament earnings to date, with the big cheque lifting him from 53rd to 16th in the Race to Dubai standings and bolstering his chances of qualifying for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.

Image: Johnston claimed a one-shot win at Valderrama

Not only that, but a win also secures Johnston's long-term future on the European Tour, with the 27-year-old now gaining an exemption until the end of 2018. 

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