Ernie Els has confirmed Ricci Roberts will be back carrying his bag at the Open.
South African upbeat after US Open showing
Ernie Els has confirmed that Ricci Roberts, who caddied during all three of his major wins, will be back carrying his bag for the Open at Royal Birkdale.
The world number five has had Irishman JP Fitzgerald as his caddie for the last 18 months, but decided to make a change following a 14th-place finish at the recent US Open.
"The US Open was quite a step forward for me," Els told his official website.
"It wasn't the way I wanted to finish the tournament, obviously, but on the whole I played beautifully all week.
"I didn't make a putt all through the tournament and that was frustrating. I mean, I played '68 golf' in the final round, but ended up shooting a 73 because I couldn't get a putt to fall.
"But I don't want to dwell on the few negatives. I was happy with my swing and I was happy with the way I hit the ball - I can take a lot of positives from that.
"I have to work on my putting, but I don't see that as being a long-term problem. I'm confident I'll sort it out soon enough.
"The British Open, probably my favourite tournament of the year, is coming up and overall I have to be pretty happy with where I am and where my game is. My mind is good, my focus is good.
"To be honest, I feel very upbeat about things right now."
