By Mike Kahn
CBS SportsLine Executive Editor
Aug. 16, 1998

REDMOND, Wash. -- The resolve of a professional athlete generally is too intangible to measure. Sunday afternoon, potentially shrouded by the damp overcast of the Great Northwest, veteran golfer Nick Price showed what being a champion is all about.

Never mind the facts, such as his finishing in a tie for fourth place in the 80th PGA Championship, five shots behind the winner, Vijay Singh, and three behind runner-up Steve Stricker.

Nick Price knows an improved putting stroke will be the key to his returning to week-to-week contention. (AP)

This was a different approach from a different kind of professional. Some of it might have been due to the eloquence with which he spoke -- that decidedly British sound from his Zimbabwe roots.

To hear Price discuss this week, and how he tied the course record of 65 Sunday on this tight par-70 Sahalee layout, reinforced to a cynical sort that there really are some class acts remaining in the word of sport. Now living in Hobe Sound, Fla., a neighbor with golfing buddy Greg Norman, Price began the day 1 over par, eight shots off the lead.

A TWO-TIME PGA CHAMPION AND WINNER of the 1994 British Open, Price had no illusions of winning the tournament; he wanted to find his lost putting stroke and at least go down swinging.

"I played, obviously, really well today," Price said. "I never measure the birdies that I make ... I always look at the pars that I save in major championships. You can make as many birdies as you want, but it's always the bogeys that kill you. And I just didn't make a bogey today, and that's why I posted such a good score."

For years considered one of the purest ball-strikers on the tour, Price has battled a nightmarish season with the putter. It had everything to do with him being over par entering the final round, and for some reason, it came together Sunday.

This was unlike Price's final round of the U.S. Open, when he slipped with a 73 to finish fourth. When the putts needed to drop Sunday at Sahalee, for the most part, they did.

A couple of breaks, a birdie putt going in at 17 instead of hanging on the lip, would have at least made him some more money -- if not allowed him to challenge for a third PGA title. He eagled the par-5 11th and was at that juncture within four of a lead he felt could be dented further.

"My mindset walking on the 12th tee was not to go at any of the flags, but to try and sneak the ball into the flags from the middle of the green," Price said. "And the way I was putting, I felt that if I just put it up 20-25 feet in the middle of the green, I was going to have a really good shot at making a couple of birdies.

"So I was also kind of watching what Vijay and Steve were doing. And neither of them was wavering very much, so I didn't give myself much chance to win. I felt that if I could post seven-under, I'd have a chance."

MORE IMPORTANT, THE CONFIDENCE THAT comes with sinking a few putts can change that mindset. All year, he didn't really believe in himself and was tight going into greens because of the pressure his poor putting had caused.

"This year has been very frustrating because I probably worked on my putting harder than any other year I can think of -- particularly the last eight weeks," Price said. "It hasn't been paying dividends, and it gets very frustrating because every time you miss a green, you feel that you have to chip the ball dead, otherwise you're going to bogey the hole. When you start making good 7-8-10-foot putts, to save par, you really start to feel like you've got all the odds in your favor."

But this time, not only did he have too large a deficit to overcome, but his buddy Singh was right on key.

As he noted, foreign golfers on the PGA Tour often become very close for practice rounds and travel schedules, and any number of other reasons, because they are frequently on unfamiliar turf. So don't expect any uncomplimentary comments from Price with regard to Singh, the native of Fiji.

"He's such a talented player, it's not going to surprise anybody ... him winning," Price said. "You cannot deny anybody who works that hard for success. I've never ever seen anyone work as hard as that man does. In fact, a couple of weeks back, I said to my caddie Jimmy, 'I'm going to stay on the practice tee longer than Vijay today.' I was there for about five hours and he was still there. I couldn't do it ... and that was just one day. You talk to his caddies and anyone who lives in Jacksonville, he's out there all the time. I wonder how much earth he's moved over the years."

On the golf course, he meant, among chuckles.

The point was how happy he was for Singh. There was a genuine approach to every word Price uttered, from praising the groundskeepers at Sahalee, to the people of the Northwest and the PGA of America officials just for choosing this as a site.

"I hope I get a chance to come back again some time," Price said.

IF HE IS INDEED AS SINCERE as he appears, the odds are great he'll be back to the Seattle area very soon. A brand new Tournament Players Club near Snoqualmie Falls, just southeast of Sahalee, is likely to host a tournament at the end of July, 2000.

It also means you can expect Price, 41, to challenge for that new title. He thrives on golf in the summer, and with his conditioning program and optimistic approach to life, there is plenty more good to come out of his career.

"I hope so," Price said. "It just felt good to be sinking putts again. For the last six months of the year, it's been awful because as soon as I miss a fairway, it's like I'm struggling to make par or I'm -- nine times out of 10 -- going to make bogey. That's why today was so much fun going after a course record. It's what gives you the confidence you can win again."

Which figures to happen again very soon. With 15 PGA Tour victories and 20 international championships, there figure to be a few more titles awaiting this international gem. At least we hope so.