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TSN Senior Reporter

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SASKATOON- Nick Price knew he was entering the lion’s den as soon as he stepped off the plane.

The captain of the International team for the upcoming Presidents Cup arrived in Saskatoon to take part in the Synergy 8 charity golf tournament, one of the largest and best run in Canada, but it may as well have been a province-wide lobby session to get the three-time major champion to select hometown boy Graham DeLaet to his team.

Around these parts, only guys in green shirts and football helmets have more fans than the Wizard of Weyburn, and with the Riders off to a start of 0-8, DeLaet is getting more attention than ever.

Price is taking his second turn at the helm of the International team that has only managed a win and a tie in 10 editions. Last time out, at Muirfield Village in Ohio, the American side won 18.5 to 15.5.

One of the few bright spots for the Internationals was the play of DeLaet, who won three and a half points: one in singles when he took out Jordan Spieth, and two and a half while partnering with Jason Day.

He was also the unofficial sparkplug for Price’s team, leading the cheering of his teammates and yelling exuberantly when he and Day managed to secure points.

“There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do. I could have asked him to do anything.” Price told a sold-out audience of 800 at Prairieland Park who gathered as part of the charity event. “He was like a dog chasing a bone.”

That’s one of reasons why the Canadian remains on Price’s radar. DeLaet currently sits 20th in the Presidents Cup International Team standings, mostly due to an injury-plagued season that has forced him to miss a number of events, including the RBC Canadian Open and most recently the PGA Championship. With two weeks to go until Price must use his two captain’s picks, the Canadian will need a big finishing kick.

“He is still on my radar, very much so,” said Price. “He is such a gutsy player. He has a lot of grit, a lot of substance to him and he is a real grinder.”

But, conceded Price, he needs to be healthy and he needs to be playing well. Despite the urging of the Saskatoon faithful, Price will only add DeLaet if he shows a hot hand.

Not that much further back is David Hearn who is in 23rd position and, with his strong play of late, also has a chance of making the team.

Price has been in regular communication with all the players he’s considering, keeping them in the loop and also getting feedback on their status. He said DeLaet has reported that he’s back near full health as he gets set to tee off in the Barclays, this week’s first stop on the FedEx Cup playoffs.

The Zimbabwean golfer does feel that DeLaet is close to breaking through and winning on the Tour, and once that happens, it may open the floodgates.

“He is probably on the cusp right now, if he’s healthy, he’s going to win soon,” stated Price. “And once you win, who knows what that does to a person’s career.

“Once he gets over the hump and wins, the sky is the limit for him.”

There is some talk that the deadline for making the captain’s picks may be extended until after the playoffs finish, allowing both Price and American captain Jay Haas to select golfers who are playing exceptionally well. Haas has reportedly been lobbying PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem to push back the selection date. That’s a move that might help the chances of DeLaet and Hearn.

At last year’s Ryder Cup, U.S. captain Tom Watson made his selections on Sept. 2, before Billy Horschel won the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship. Horschel sat at home while the Americans lost the Ryder Cup again.

Price has managed one victory in the lead-up to the event. After some non-stop lobbying, he got Finchem to change the scoring format, reducing the overall points to 30 from 34.

The number of matches on each of the first two days will be dropped from six to five. On Saturday, there will be four four-ball matches and four foursome matches instead of the previous five and five.

This will allow Price to utilize his top guns more while sitting those not playing well. While the top of the International team’s lineup is strong with the likes of Jason Day, Louis Oosthuizen and Adam Scott, it gets somewhat weaker towards the bottom. Currently, the 10th spot on Price’s team is held by Danny Lee, who sits 54th in the Official World Golf Ranking, while the same spot on the American side is held by Webb Simpson, who is 25th.

It’s a move will give the International team a fighting chance against a powerhouse U.S. side that will include the likes of Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson and Zach Johnson.

If he does make the team, you can be sure DeLaet will figure prominently for Price’s thinking. At home, he’ll have the support of an entire province.