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Fisher sets Ryder Cup goal

Ross Fisher was a big winner in Ireland at the weekend © Getty Images

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Ross Fisher has the Ryder Cup on his mind, after surging into the world's top 20 following his win in the Irish Open.

Fisher held off a surge from local favourite Padraig Harrington to boost his chances of securing a spot in Colin Montgomerie's Europe team for the Celtic Manor spectacular in October.

Montgomerie has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal and some big names may well miss out. Fisher is keen to secure an automatic spot and his win in Ireland went some way to handing him a place in the team.

"The Ryder Cup is a huge goal for me," Fisher said. "It's not over yet and I'm sure there will be some changes and some shuffling around.

"I know this is the first big week of three in a row for me, so it couldn't have got off to a better start. Now I want to go out there and prove that this wasn't a fluke - I want to try and contend the next two weeks if I can."

Harrington's second-place finish moved him four places up the rankings to four, while Stuart Appleby's victory at the Greenbrier Classic moved him up to 94 from 159. The top 11 in the rankings remain unaltered, with Tiger Woods retaining his place as the world's No. 1.

World Rankings: 1. Tiger Woods (USA), 2. Phil Mickelson (USA), 3. Lee Westwood (Eng), 4. Steve Stricker (USA), 5. Jim Furyk (USA), 6. Ernie Els (RSA), 7. Luke Donald (Eng), 8. Rory McIlroy (NI), 9. Paul Casey (Eng), 10. Ian Poulter (Eng), 11. Graeme McDowell (NI), 12. Anthony Kim (USA), 13. Martin Kaymer (GER), 14. Robert Allenby (Aus), 15. Padraig Harrington (IRE), 16. Louis Oosthuizen (RSA), 17. Retief Goosen (RSA), 18. Edoardo Molinari (Ita), 19. Justin Rose (Eng), 20. Ross Fisher (Eng)

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