Everipedia Logo
Everipedia is now IQ.wiki - Join the IQ Brainlist and our Discord for early access to editing on the new platform and to participate in the beta testing.
Frank Nobilo

Frank Nobilo

Frank Ivan Joseph Nobilo CNZM (born on 14 May 1960) is a professional golfer from New Zealand.

Nobilo had a successful playing career, winning 15 pro tournaments around the world. He was at his peak during the mid-1990s when he also produced strong finishes in all four major championships.

Since his 2003 retirement, Nobilo has worked as a television announcer for golf events.

Frank Nobilo
Personal information
Full nameFrank Ivan Joseph Nobilo
Born(1960-05-14)14 May 1960
Auckland, New Zealand
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
NationalityNew Zealand
ResidenceAuckland, New Zealand
ChildrenBianca Nobilo
Career
Turned professional1979
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
European Tour
PGA Tour of Australasia
Professional wins15
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour1
European Tour5
Asian Tour2
PGA Tour of Australasia3
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament4th: 1996
PGA ChampionshipT8: 1996
U.S. OpenT9: 1994
The Open ChampionshipT10: 1997
Achievements and awards
Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit1998

Personal life

Nobilo was born in Auckland, of Croatian and Italian descent, and is the great grandson of an Italian pirate.[1] At birth, his right leg was shorter than his left, which has caused him some back problems throughout his life. He was educated at St Peter's College in Auckland where he was persuaded to play golf by schoolmates (Chris Treen and Mark Lewis). Nobilo preferred to play Rugby league for Glenora over Rugby Union for St Peter's, which was "a bone of contention" with the school. "I got a bit of grief because I preferred league over rugby then and I was a bit more of a rebel. I used to catch the train to and from school and it took about 30–40 minutes. My mum said it drove her crazy because I missed it often and my parents were living in Glen Eden and I would end up in Henderson and they'd have to come and collect me".[2]

Nobilo and his wife, Selena, married in 1998. He has a daughter, Bianca Nobilo, from a previous marriage. Nobilo works as an ambassador for The House of Nobilo, one of New Zealand's leading wineries and founded by one of his relatives Nikola Nobilo.[3] Nobilo was awarded the Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) in 1998.

Career

In 1978, Nobilo won the New Zealand Amateur Championship at 18, the second-youngest winner of this title. He turned professional in November 1979. His first professional win came in 1982 at the New South Wales PGA Championship on the PGA Tour of Australasia.

Nobilo joined the European Tour in 1985 as a full-time player, having played in selected events in 1982 and 1983. He recorded his first win on the Tour in the 1988 PLM Open (not to be confused with the KLM Open). Nobilo subsequently won four other European Tour events and finished inside the top 50 on the Order of Merit every season from 1988 to 1996, with a best of 14th place in 1993.

After strong performances in all the majors, including a 4th-place finish in the Masters Tournament and a tie for 8th in the PGA Championship, Nobilo left Europe at the end of 1996 and joined the United States-based PGA Tour for the following season. He won the Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic during his rookie season, which proved to be his only win on that tour. He has featured in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings.

One week after his marriage to Selena in 1998, Nobilo was struck above the left eye by an errant tee shot at the Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Central Florida. The injury required 30 stitches, and affected his play afterwards.

Nobilo played for the International Team in each of the first three Presidents Cups (1994, 1996, 1998). He contributed significantly to the international appeal of the event when in 1998 and paired with fellow kiwi Greg Turner he holed a 70-foot putt on the final green to defeat the American pairing. On 2 October 2008, International Presidents Cup team captain Greg Norman announced that Frank Nobilo would serve as his assistant captain for the 2009 Presidents Cup 6–11 Oct. 2009 at Harding Park Golf Course in San Francisco.[4]

On 9 October 2007, it was reported that Nobilo had announced he would be coming out of retirement, and attempt to gain a card for the U.S. PGA Tour through qualifying school. However, in a statement issued on the Golf Channel's website, Nobilo denied the report: "I have not, nor did I have any intention of entering this years PGA Tour Qualifying school."[5]

Television work

Upon retiring from tournament golf in 2003, Nobilo joined the Golf Channel for studio coverage. He has been a key member of the Live From team at the major championships. From 2012-2014, he occasionally filled in for Peter Jacobsen on NBC's golf coverage (NBC and Golf Channel are corporate siblings).

In 2015, Nobilo joined CBS's golf coverage, replacing Peter Oosterhuis. Like Oosterhuis did, he worked only the cable coverage of about half of CBS's events, while working on the network coverage of the other half, including the Masters and PGA Championship. He remained on Live From on Golf Channel but will no longer be allowed to fill in on NBC. Nobilo made his CBS debut at the 2015 Phoenix Open.

He was also a commentator in Rory McIlroy PGA Tour Video Game, released in 2015.

Amateur wins (2)

  • 1978 New Zealand Amateur Championship

  • 1979 New Zealand Under-25 Stroke Play Championship

Professional wins (15)

European Tour wins (5)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
114 Aug 1988PLM Open−10 (63-68-71-68=270)1 strokeEnglandHoward Clark
215 Sep 1991Trophée Lancôme−13 (65-68-69-65=267)1 strokeAustraliaIan Baker-Finch,AustraliaPeter Fowler,
EnglandDavid Gilford,EnglandJamie Spence
37 Mar 1993Turespana Open Mediterrania−9 (71-69-67-72=279)1 strokeScotlandGordon Brand, Jnr,David Feherty
42 Jul 1995BMW International Open−16 (67-69-69-67=272)2 strokesGermanyBernhard Langer,SwedenJarmo Sandelin
52 Jun 1996Deutsche Bank Open TPC of Europe−18 (65-69-72-64=270)1 strokeScotlandColin Montgomerie

PGA Tour wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory
Runner-up
127 Apr 1997Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic−14 (69-69-69-67=274)PlayoffUnited StatesBrad Faxon

PGA Tour playoff record (1–0)

No.YearTournamentOpponentResult
11997Greater Greensboro Chrysler ClassicUnited StatesBrad FaxonWon with par on first extra hole

Asian Tour wins (2)

  • 1997 Satelindo Indonesia Open

  • 1997 Andersen Consulting Hong Kong Open

PGA Tour of Australasia wins (3)

  • 1982 Reschs Pilsner New South Wales PGA Championship

  • 1985 Nissan-Mobil New Zealand PGA Championship

  • 1987 New Zealand PGA Championship

Other wins (4)

  • 1994 Sampoerna Indonesian Open

  • 1995 Sarazen World Open

  • 1996 Subaru Sarazen World Open

  • 1997 Mexican Open

Results in major championships

Tournament198619871988198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000
Masters TournamentCUT446CUT
U.S. OpenT9T10T13T36T40CUT
The Open ChampionshipT59T16T73T51T11T68T27T10CUTT18
PGA ChampionshipT33T22T47CUTT8T29CUT

CUT = missed the half-way cut "T" = tied

Summary

TournamentWins2nd3rdTop-5Top-10Top-25EventsCuts made
Masters Tournament00011142
U.S. Open00002365
The Open Championship000014109
PGA Championship00001275
Totals00015102721
  • Most consecutive cuts made – 9 (1986 Open Championship – 1994 PGA)

  • Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (five times)

Team appearances

Amateur

  • Eisenhower Trophy (representing New Zealand): 1978

Professional

  • World Cup (representing New Zealand): 1982, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000

  • Alfred Dunhill Cup (representing New Zealand): 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998

  • Presidents Cup (International team): 1994, 1996, 1998 (winners)

  • Alfred Dunhill Challenge (representing Australasia): 1995

  • UBS Warburg Cup (representing the Rest of the World): 2001

See also

  • 2000 PGA Tour Qualifying School graduates

  • List of alumni of St Peter's College, Auckland

References

[1]
Citation Linkwww.independent.co.uk"Four long shots who are in with a chance". The Independent. 17 July 1997. Retrieved 16 July 2009.
Sep 27, 2019, 2:40 PM
[2]
Citation Linkwww.nzherald.co.nzWynne Gray, "Q & A Frank Nobilo", New Zealand Herald, 12 Nov 2011 (retrieved 17 November 2011)
Sep 27, 2019, 2:40 PM
[3]
Citation Linkwww.allbusiness.com"Professional Golfer Frank Nobilo Signs on as House of Nobilo Brand Ambassador". Business Wire. 4 May 2005. Retrieved 16 July 2009.
Sep 27, 2019, 2:40 PM
[4]
Citation Linkwww.golfdigest.com"Nobilo Joins Norman's Int'l Team". Golf Digest. 2 October 2008. Retrieved 16 July 2009.
Sep 27, 2019, 2:40 PM
[5]
Citation Linkwww.thegolfchannel.com"Golf Channel's Nobilo Denies Return". Golf Channel. 9 October 2007.
Sep 27, 2019, 2:40 PM
[6]
Citation Linkwww.nobilo.comOfficial website
Sep 27, 2019, 2:40 PM
[7]
Citation Linkwww.europeantour.comFrank Nobilo
Sep 27, 2019, 2:40 PM
[8]
Citation Linkwww.pgatour.comFrank Nobilo
Sep 27, 2019, 2:40 PM
[9]
Citation Linkwww.independent.co.uk"Four long shots who are in with a chance"
Sep 27, 2019, 2:40 PM
[10]
Citation Linkwww.nzherald.co.nz"Q & A Frank Nobilo"
Sep 27, 2019, 2:40 PM
[11]
Citation Linkwww.allbusiness.com"Professional Golfer Frank Nobilo Signs on as House of Nobilo Brand Ambassador"
Sep 27, 2019, 2:40 PM
[12]
Citation Linkwww.golfdigest.com"Nobilo Joins Norman's Int'l Team"
Sep 27, 2019, 2:40 PM
[13]
Citation Linkwww.thegolfchannel.com"Golf Channel's Nobilo Denies Return"
Sep 27, 2019, 2:40 PM
[14]
Citation Linkwww.nobilo.comOfficial website
Sep 27, 2019, 2:40 PM
[15]
Citation Linkwww.europeantour.comFrank Nobilo
Sep 27, 2019, 2:40 PM
[16]
Citation Linkwww.pgatour.comFrank Nobilo
Sep 27, 2019, 2:40 PM
[17]
Citation Linken.wikipedia.orgThe original version of this page is from Wikipedia, you can edit the page right here on Everipedia.Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Additional terms may apply.See everipedia.org/everipedia-termsfor further details.Images/media credited individually (click the icon for details).
Sep 27, 2019, 2:40 PM