Presidents Cup Captain Nick Price insists Marc Leishman’s brilliant BMW Championship will prove a huge boost for his International team.
Leishman singled out Price’s input to his Chicago victory when returning to competition at this week’s Tour Championship in Atlanta and remarking how the Zimbabwean legend has been a mentor to him in recent years.
Price was not on hand at Conway Farms last week, but he was among the first to text his congratulations to the Warrnambool golfer.
And in speaking to Price at Tuesday’s Payne Stewart Award function in downtown Atlanta, Price could not have been happier with the Aussie’s success.
“It was so great to see Marc win and the thing is we all knew he had it in him,” Price said.
“The sky is the limit for Marc right now as he is a great driver of the golf ball, he has a good iron game and a great short game.
“He showed great motivation and commitment last week and his win is also great motivation and very timely for our team.
“When he came so close in Boston (two weeks earlier), I felt myself he would have a good chance of succeeding in going to Chicago and it is just great for a guy with so much talent to get the job done in such a superior manner, too.”
Leishman qualified fifth on the points table and Price sees the Victorian as very much a cornerstone in the International team heading next week to New Jersey.
“The great thing about Marc is that he can be comfortable playing with any member of the International team and that is a great plus for any team captain to enjoy,” Price said.
“I could pair him with Hideki (Matsuyama), Si Woo (Kim), Adam (Scott) or Jhonattan (Vegas) and he would be at home, so he is a player I have no worry about in pairing him with someone like the guys I’ve mentioned because I know I could count on Marc.
“But I am just so happy for him as he is a great guy and he richly deserved his victory as he showed some real grit.”