THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 16, 1996 TAG: 9606160173
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MICH. LENGTH: 64 lines
Frank (pronounce it any way you like) Nobilo doesn't talk like a man with an ax to grind. Of course, he doesn't talk like the great-great grandson of a 19th century Italian pirate, either.
Fact is, he's both.
He's also in familiar territory at a United States Open - in prime contention for the championship. He has played in two previous Opens - at Oakmont in 1994 and at Shinnecoc last year - and has respective finishes of ninth and 10th.
An even-par 70 Saturday kept the 36-year-old New Zealand native at par 210 for the tournament, in a three-way tie for third, just two strokes behind leader Tom Lehman.
No one has more reason to want to win an Open than Nobilo. He's caught up in golf's version of bureaucratic red tape. Nobilo is playing for justice, to right what he feels is a wrong.
Although he maintains a base of operations in Great Britain and has played the European Tour for nearly a decade, the USGA still classifies him as a member of the Australia-Asian Tour because that's where he's from.
If he wanted to play the U.S. Tour, he would need a release from any coinciding tournament being played on the continent - and that's not about to happen, because the European PGA Tour has already lost Langer, Sandy Lyle, Faldo, Colin Montgomerie and The Shark over here. They aren't too happy about it, but those guys are untouchables or have earned their spurs.
Nobilo hasn't. Not yet. They can make an example of him.
``They have carte-blanche to play both sides of the Atlantic,'' he said. ``Clearly, by my birthright, I am denied that privilege. That's a bit unfair because, you know, I've played there since 1987.''
Winning the Open would be the answer to his problems, his salvation. It would enable him to play where he wanted, when he wanted. Does that make the Open doubly important?
``It makes it triply, quadruply, unbelievably important to me,'' Nobilo said, smiling wistfully.
Who knows where Nobilo would be today had his ancestors been better behaved. An NBC announcer pointed out Saturday that Nobilo's lineage includes a part of the family who were pirates off the coast of Italy and finally were given the heave-ho to another continent.
``My ancestors on my father's side were a reasonably poor family, and they came to the impression that all the good-looking girls were gone in Italy,'' he started. ``So they decided to rape and pillage their way across the Baltic to Yugoslavia, and they found out that the girls were no good there, either. So they went to New Zealand.''
Shrug. Grimace.
``My mom's not too impressed with that story,'' he added, hoping for a change of subject.
He received it, but the question was equally personal.
``I've heard your name pronouced Nob-ilo and I've heard it No-belo,'' someone asked. ``How do you pronounce it?''
``Frank,'' the pirate's great-great grandson replied without missing a beat. ``It is anything but Nab-ilo.''
So we still don't know for sure. And the only way we're likely to find out is if he's in a more cooperative mood the next time he's asked. For the immediate future, that probably won't be unless he's won the U.S. Open. ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS photo
Frank Nobilo sizes up a putt during Saturday's third round. He is
tied for third. by CNB