[Image: Getty]
Former world No.74 Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston will join the best of the west for the second edition of the Webex Players Series Perth, hosted by Minjee and Min Woo Lee.
To be staged at Royal Fremantle Golf Club for the second straight year from January 8-11, Webex Players Series Perth starts the second half of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season and kicks off the WPGA Tour of Australasia 2026 schedule.
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Among a host of local favourites including defending champion Jordan Doull, runner-up Haydn Barron and Ladies European Tour star Kirsten Rudgeley is Johnston, who has been calling Perth home since coming specifically to undergo thumb surgery in late March.
He made the cut in his return to the DP World Tour at the Genesis Championship in October before missing the weekend at both the BMW Australian PGA Championship and Crown Australian Open.
As he looks to kick-start his career in Europe, Johnston said he could think of no more fitting way to launch his 2026 season than at his ‘home away from home’.
“The people of Perth and Western Australia have been so kind to me and my family,” said Johnston, who shot to prominence when he finished tied eighth at the 2016 Open Championship.
“As I’ve recovered from my thumb surgery, the golf clubs around Perth have welcomed me with open arms and we genuinely feel like we have made a home here.
“I’m hoping that when we tee it up at Royal Fremantle Golf Club in the New Year there will be some faces among the fans who will now be familiar to me.”
A long-time fan favourite for the joy in which he plays the game and his willingness to speak openly about mental health struggles, Johnston adds a layer to the field that already features some of Australia’s best male and female talent.
“’Beef’ is great for golf both inside and outside the ropes and is someone who connected with fans the moment he burst onto the scene,” said PGA of Australia Tour Development Manager, Kim Felton.
“We’re thrilled that he will tee it up at Minjee and Min Woo’s tournament at Royal Fremantle in January.
“In the inaugural event we had three outstanding local talents fighting it out for the win, with Kirsten Rudgeley just falling shy of joining Jordan Doull and Haydn Barron in the playoff. I’d expect all to be in contention again in 2026.
“Kirsten and Maddison Hinson-Tolchard are WA talents who have had very good years on the Ladies European Tour and Hannah Reeves from Queensland is an exciting prospect who won three of her first four events after turning professional in October.”
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Webex Players Series Perth marks the halfway point of the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia season with all-important Order of Merit points up for grabs.
Last year’s Order of Merit runner-up, Ryan Peake, has entered ahead of his rookie season on the DP World Tour with Will Florimo and James Marchesani both eager to entrench their position inside the top three.
It will be a happy homecoming also for Connor McKinney, the Joondalup product now in possession of a DP World Tour card for 2026 having finished tied fourth at the Qualifying School Final Stage in November.
Entry is free to spectators all four days of the tournament with the final two rounds to be broadcast live on Foxtel through Fox Sports 503 and Kayo Sports.
