Barnet's Andrew Johnston can’t wait to feel the love from the Americans after qualifying for the US Open.

The larger-than-life golfer, nicknamed 'Beef', clinched his first European Tour title at the Open de Espana last month and is now looking forward to competing at Oakmont in June.

He qualified for the Major after finishing in a tie for fourth at Walton Heath on Sunday.

The 27-year-old said: “I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve had a lot of love from America and I’m really excited about getting out there and competing.”

Johnston has already developed a fan base on the other side of the pond. He has become something of a cult hero for his celebrations, which have included jumping into the air for a chest bump with a friend after his hole-in-one at Wentworth, going back to his local North Middlesex Golf Club to get ‘hammered’ after he clinched his first European Tour title at the Open de Espana, and doing the Miguel Angel Jimenez jig after finishing his third round with an eagle at the Scottish Open.

But behind the big beard, celebrations and dance moves, is a man who has ambitions of matching his giant personality with some even bigger performances out on the course.

He said: “Now I’ve got to the US Open I’ve got to do well. I don’t want to just turn up and not have a run at it.

“I cannot see why I can’t go out there and have a good week. My strength is driving and hitting a lot of fairways. I will aim to do that, see what happens and go from there.

“I’m not making any predictions but I seem to play well on some of the trickier courses so we will see what happens. There could be a lot of mashed potato going on.”

And he reckons his popularity with fans and players could help his game.

He said: “The more love I’ve got the more confidence I’ve got to be myself and that’s helped my golf as well.

“The first year I played on the Tour I thought ‘Do you have to be a certain way and behave in a certain manner?’ But the more it’s gone on you realise people enjoy you for what you are and my personality has come out a bit more and that’s helped my game.

“It’s a fine balance and if I hole a shot I’ll have a bit of fun. I’m just being myself. I am the same as I was at school. It’s just me being me.”

But Johnston won’t let the fun get in the way of his steely determination.

He said: “The goal for the year was to get a win. I got the win in Spain and said after that that I couldn’t sit back on it, and that I had to push on and keep working hard.

“Anything can happen in golf. If you come in too confident it will come and bite you back. I’ve seen it so many times, people going in and saying they’re going to do this and that and then they miss the cut.

“I can’t let the occasion get to me. I’ve got to not think too much about it and go and treat it as another event. I’ve got to make sure I concentrate when I’m playing.”

But he admits that rogue thoughts do sometimes enter his head at some bizarre moments on the course.

He said: “I get funny thoughts on the course. On the 16th in Spain I was thinking ‘I wonder if I can change my flights’ and I had to say ‘Shut up, I’ve still got two more holes to play.”

Before the US Open though, he has this week’s European Tour event at the Nordea Masters in Sweden to concentrate on.