Britain's Ross Fisher won the Irish Open by two shots Sunday to give his Ryder Cup hopes a timely boost. The 29-year-old Englishman held off a determined challenge by Padraig Harrington with a closing six-under-par 65, two strokes better than the Irish three-times major champion. With 500,000 points for his first place, Fisher catapulted himself to sixth spot on Europe's Ryder Cup table of the nine automatic qualifiers. Briton Chris Wood (68) and Spain's Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (67) shared third place, four strokes adrift of Fisher. Harrington twice drew level with Fisher as he delighted the home gallery with a final-day 64. However, the Irishman had to settle for a remarkable 26th second place finish on the European Tour in just less than 15 years. Fisher began the day with a one-shot advantage and that was soon wiped out. A 15ft eagle putt on the seventh calmed any nerves, though, and he was two ahead by the turn. Harrington, himself looking to force his way into Europe's top nine after a winless two years, stayed on Fisher's shoulder and a mere nine foot eagle putt on the long 16th put the pair briefly level again. Fisher was not to be denied, however, and birdies on the 15th and 16th earned him his fourth European Tour title. It also saw him leap seven places on the Ryder Cup table with a maximum of four events to come before Europe's team for Celtic Manor against the US in October is decided. A scintillating second round course record 61 had seen Fisher roar to the top of the leaderboard and last year's World Matchplay champion can now move on to next week's WGC Bridgestone Invitational and then the U.S. PGA Championship with extra confidence. His blistering finish for 333,330 points left Harrington just one place outside the top nine on the Ryder Cup table. Tseng lifts British Open Taiwan's Yani Tseng broke down in tears after she survived a final day showdown with Australia's Katherine Hull on Sunday to win her third major at the women's British Open at Royal Birkdale. Tseng, the leader from round one, went into the final 18 holes with a four-shot lead. But it was down to one with five to play and she eventually had to hole a six-foot par putt at the last to secure victory with a round of 73. On 11 under, Tseng finished one ahead of Hull, who shot 70, and the 21-year-old is now the youngest woman to have won three majors. Her previous wins came in the 2008 LPGA Championship and the Kraft Nabisco Championship in March. Having appeared totally in control during the first 54 holes in which she shot 68 in every round and dropped only one shot, she was much more edgy on Sunday and the tears flowed after she struck the final putt. “I was so tired and the last few holes were so hard,” she told reporters. “I felt so much pressure out there and it's been an unbelievable day. Even when I holed the putt at the last I had to ask my caddie ‘did I win?' Hull made an early move with back-to-back birdies at the second and third to close the gap to one, but Tseng was four ahead again by the turn, helped by birdies at the fourth, from 30 feet, and the long sixth. But Hull again fought back. There was a two-shot swing at the 10th when the 28-year-old Queenslander made a 15-foot putt and Tseng missed a short one for par and Hull hit her second shot to three feet for another gain at the 13th. None of the other players managed to really mount a serious challenge. Two South Koreans – Choi Na-yeon (68) and Kim In-kyung (71) – finished in joint third on seven under. Michelle Wie, struggling after a second-round 76, ended joint 17th on level
