This time last year, no special attention was paid to English golfer Ross Fisher as he flew to the Middle East to begin his 2007 campaign.

It is rather different now.

He is the leader of the European Order of Merit and the player whose battles with Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson - and with himself - have thrust him into the limelight.

Starting with this week's Abu Dhabi Championship, Fisher's aim is to make sure he is even more to the fore.

"Yes, it was a good year, but it's gone now," said the 27-year-old from Wentworth, entering just his third full year on the circuit.

"My goal is to improve on it, and I have high expectations. I haven't stuck the current money list up on any wall at home or anything - but if I'm still there at the end of the year I might."

What many people will remember most about Fisher's duel with Mickelson at the HSBC Champions event in Shanghai in November does not show him in the best light, of course.

One behind with one hole to play, Mickelson hit his second shot to the par-five 18th into the lake. Game over, you might have thought - but then Fisher chipped into the water and ran up a double-bogey seven.

The pair fell into a play-off with Lee Westwood as a result of the comedy of errors, but Mickelson ended all smiles when he took the title at the second extra hole.

"Sure, I was kicking myself for a few days - and looking back, I should have won. But it was still a great start to the season," Fisher recalls.

"Mickelson was the one expected to win, and I out-scored him in the final round. I am a very, very positive person - and that was most definitely a 'positive'."

So, of course, was a cheque for £225,000 the week before his wedding - and a whole pile of Ryder Cup points. Valhalla in September would, of course, be a good time to take revenge over the American.

Fisher might get the chance to lock horns with Els and Woods again in Dubai in just two weeks' time.

After two opening rounds of 65 at the Emirates a year ago, the former England amateur international was one ahead of Els and five clear of Woods.

It was actually Swede Henrik Stenson who took the title. But going head-to-head with the South African in the third round and with the world number one on the last day, when he regained the lead before making bogeys on the 16th and 17th, gave Fisher massive confidence for the coming months.

"I feel like I'm very strong mentally and I think I coped really well in what was one of the biggest weekends of my golfing career," he added.

Fisher wishes he could say the same of the BMW PGA Championship over his home course last May.

Joint leader with Paul Broadhurst after 54 holes, he crashed to an horrendous 84.

"It was a massive disappointment, but you're going to have a lot of them in golf," he said.

"You've just got to try to cope with them as well as possible and I came back to win in Holland."

That victory in the KLM Open three months later came only after he survived trial by television over whether he had moved some bramble. But having been presented with the trophy, his next job was to win something bigger - and Shanghai was very nearly it.

The fact that it was not, however, means that when the next chance comes he will be even more determined to grab it.

Although he was born in the same year as Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia and Adam Scott, Fisher chose not to turn professional until 2004. He had not even appeared in a major until he qualified for last July's Open.

Now up to 85th in the world, a fast start to the year could get him to the Masters in April.

He is not short of incentives.