Beer Man on course

Chris Yemma

As a cold beer at the golf course can be addicting, so too was

watching Mark Johnson.

The “Beer Man,” as he has come to be known by his following,

gained steady popularity throughout his second-round play in the

Toshiba Senior Classic Saturday at Newport Beach Country Club, and it

wasn’t because of the suds.

Formerly a Budweiser truck driver, Johnson shot an 8-under-par 63,

tying a second-round record set in 2001, to take a three-shot lead at

12-under (130) through 36 holes.

Through the 11th hole and beyond, word spread like wildfire of the

Beer Man and his shots, as the crowd following Johnson consistently

multiplied up until the 18th hole.

When he holed a chip shot, officially measured at 64 feet, 5

inches away, with his 7-iron to birdie hole No. 13, it was as if the

Beer Man couldn’t lose.

“I knew then that things were going my way,” Johnson said. “That’s

when Bruce Lietzke (who was in a pairing with Johnson and Brad

Bryant) says, ‘Mark, you need to go buy a lottery ticket.’

“So I’m going to go out tonight and buy one.”

One thing he won’t be doing tonight, or in the near future, is

driving a beer truck again. From the Barstow area, Johnson is mainly

sponsored by H. Olson Budweiser Distributing out of the High Desert,

the distributor he drove trucks for.

He delivered beer for 18 years before having the opportunity to

pursue his lifelong dream. H. Olson and a group of Barstow-area

business people are making it possible for him to play golf

full-time.

But not delivering beer any more doesn’t mean the image has

escaped him through his golfing days. Sporting a Bud Light baseball

cap and an O’Doul’s golf bag Saturday, the Beer Man’s accurate shots

and precision putts seemed to have an intoxicating effect on the

intrigued observers.

The Beer Man was stone sober, though.

After getting into a predicament on the par-4 16th hole -- his tee

shot went wide right, about 30 yards off the fairway and nestled

itself almost under a tree -- he escaped by slicing a 4-iron shot

around a palm tree, landing just inches from the green.

He ended up bogeying the hole -- his only one of the day -- but

not before giving the onlookers an approach shot to cheer about. It

was, perhaps, as if the crowd was willing the underdog to win.

Bryant, who played the second round with Johnson, was having none

of the beer- delivery, feel-good-story hoopla, though.

“It’s a good story, but Mark’s really a good player,” Bryant said.

“I played with Mark the final round of the qualifying tournament and

he played better then.

“Today he made three long putts, chipped in one -- had the ball

going in the hole -- he really played well. This golf course is one

of those courses where if you get it going, you can shoot a low

score.”

Johnson, 50, who won a CIF Southern Section individual

championship in 1972, turned professional in 1998. He finished tied

for 43rd at the PGA Tour’s Pebble Beach national pro-am in 2001 and

first at the 2004 Champions Tour national qualifying tournament,

giving him exempt status for the tour.

Winning the Toshiba would be the apex of his golfing career, he

said.

If Saturday was any indicator, Johnson could be headed in the

right direction.

He eagled the third hole and finished with seven birdies and one

bogey. He hit putts of 30 (twice), 35 and 40 feet, along with the

near 65-foot chip on hole No. 13. The Beer Man also hit 8 of 14

fairways.

“Everything went my way today,” Johnson said. “I feel confident

about this course and my game.”

He also finds his semi-new lifestyle a little less grueling.

“I delivered 600-1,000 cases of beer a day when I was working for

H. Olson Distributing,” he said. “That’s hard work. This is a lot

easier than delivering that beer.”

Johnson tees off in the final round at 12:15 p.m. today.