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Rose would relish Ryder Cup partnership with Poulter

Justin Rose won the AT&T National over the weekend © Getty Images

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Justin Rose is insisting that he is not focusing on securing a Ryder Cup place - but he does admit that he would relish the opportunity to team up with close friend Ian Poulter, who he played with in the 2008 tournament.

Rose has climbed into 16th in the world rankings on the back of two victories - at the Memorial Tournament and AT&T National - in his last three outings on the PGA Tour.

That stellar run of form has seen him race into sixth in the world points list, which will provide four players for Colin Montgomerie's European Ryder Cup squad.

But Rose is training his sights on the short term instead of turning his gaze to the October tournament, which will be held in Wales at Celtic Manor.

"To be honest I haven't taken stock of that at all," he said. "I don't know where that has moved me in the list - I'm not sure if that's got me in, or if I'm close. Obviously I'm in contention for a pick if need be, but it's just week-to-week for me right now.

"I would love to play with Poults, we had fantastic Ryder Cup last time and it would be great to play as a home team."

Seeking to explain his recent upturn in results, Rose pinpointed his recent focus on the mental aspects of his game. Earlier in the year he had expressed disappointment that his standard of performance was not being reflected by his tournament finishes - he did not qualify for the Masters or the World Golf Championships earlier in the season.

"I've focused a lot more on the mental side of my game recently," he said. "My game has been in good shape, I have been swinging the club well for a long time, but I have just been putting a little bit more emphasis on the mental side of things.

"Being more focused really, committing more to my shots. It's really simple, but just really working on not being distracted with exceptional first shots. That's obviously the key to this game; there is never a perfect round of golf, and how you can accept adversity I think that really helps."

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