721 Not Getting Gas

I have a 2001 721 Grasshopper W/Kubota gas engine that from time to time will not start with out squirting gas into the air breather tube. It had been doing this during cold starts after sitting for a week or so but tonight I had mowed for an hour then stopped to talk to the neighbor for 15 minutes and it would not start. I squirted a couple of pumps of gas from an old oil can and it started right up. I may mention that it pops for just a second and then dies when it does this but then you could crank it choke or no choke until the battery runs down and it will not start without a prime. It does not do this every time but maybe 30% of the time.

I have considered the electric solenoid on the carburetor or the fuel pump but not quite sure.

Has anyone experienced this or anything similar?