Dustin Johnson watches his tee shot on the eighth hole ICHEON, South Korea -  AFP Rising US golf star Dustin Johnson on Wednesday insisted the search for a new caddie was not distracting him from his game after splitting from his bag-man of three years.
The big-hitting 26-year-old dropped Bobby Brown last week and admitted their close friendship may have got in the way of their performance on the golf course.
Johnson said he would take his time to find a permanent replacement for Brown, and he will tee off at the Ballantine\'s Championship in South Korea this week with a caddie from his club manufacturer TaylorMade. \"The search for a new caddie\'s been going really good,\" he said. \"I\'ve got a lot of guys interested in working for me, I\'ve got a few different ones lined up for the next few weeks. It hasn\'t really been a distraction at all.\"
Brown was on Johnson\'s bag when he threw away good chances to win two Majors last year, but the player said they remained good friends despite the split.
A triple-bogey on his way to a final round of 82 saw Johnson surrender a three-shot last-day lead at the US Open at Pebble Beach and slump to finish outside the top 10.
At the PGA Championship he led Germany\'s Martin Kaymer by a shot going into the last hole of a playoff when he failed to realise he was in a bunker and grounded his club, incurring a two-stroke penalty. \"I\'ll be looking for somebody I get along with on the course and enjoy spending time with, but as far as Bobby goes we\'re still going to be really close friends,\" he said. \"He\'s kind of like a brother to me and I think that was one of our faults -- maybe we\'re a little too close.\"
The $3.2 million Ballantine\'s starts on Thursday at the Blackstone Golf Club near Seoul, and Johnson faces a strong field that includes world number one Lee Westwood, three-time Major winner Ernie Els and Asia\'s first Major-winner Y.E. Yang.