Cameron Smith has highlighted this week's US PGA Championship as the moment he needs to step up and announce himself as a Presidents Cup bolter.
With Internationals captain Nick Price finalising his 12-man team for the biennial Cup on September 6, 23-year-old Smith is hungry to earn a dream debut with a strong result at the year's final major.
Smith broke through for a maiden US PGA Tour victory at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in April, but the teams event didn't carry world ranking points.
The Internationals are made up of the top-10 golfers in the world rankings not eligible for the Ryder Cup and, after some lacklustre results, Smith has sunk to world No.169 and 46th on Price's standings.
But given the high-calibre PGA Championship field at Quail Hollow Club offers 100 world ranking points for the winner, Brisbane native Smith knows it's the time to strike.
"The PGA Championship is a pretty big opportunity for me to get on that team this week. A good result here would set me up to finish the job in the FedEx Cup playoffs," Smith told AAP.
Smith says watching the Internationals get crushed by the Americans at the past six President Cups fuels his desire to be at the September 26 event at New Jersey's Liberty National.
"It'd be awesome to play for the Internationals. I've grown up watching them lose so many times. It'd be nice to put my hand up and try and change it," said Smith.
In a bid to charge up the Internationals team standings, Smith has made an 11th-hour schedule change to play next week's Wyndham Championship.
"I'm playing next week, which I didn't plan on playing originally, to give myself an extra opportunity," said Smith.
Well-placed at 42nd on the season-long FedEx Cup points race, Smith has up to four playoffs events to blitz his way onto the team.
Smith debuted at the PGA Championship in 2015, when he finished tied for 25th.
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