Meet Int'l Captain's Assistant Frank Nobilo

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Stan Badz/PGA TOUR

International Captain's Assistant Frank Nobilo, from New Zealand, has played on three Presidents Cup teams.

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New Zealand's Frank Nobilo knows all too well what the pressures playing in a Presidents Cup are like. After all, he played in the inaugural Matches, earning 1½ points for the International Team. He also participated in the 1996 and 1998 Matches with International Captain and friend Greg Norman, finishing his Presidents Cup career with a 5-8-1 overall record, highlighted by the two points he won in 1998's stunning International victory at Australia's Royal Melbourne Golf Club.

Beyond his play in The Presidents Cup, Nobilo, 49, won the PGA TOUR's 1997 Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic in a playoff over Brad Faxon as well as two Sarazen World Opens and 13 international victories overall. He represented New Zealand in 11 World Cups and 11 Dunhill Cups.

Almost as important is Nobilo's work as a GOLF CHANNEL analyst, where he has proven to be both candid and insightful. It is his knowledge of current players that he has gathered in this role that will be particularly helpful for Norman, who has played a limited schedule in recent years.

"Frank has been a friend and ally for many years, and I welcome the knowledge, perception, wisdom and understanding that he will bring to The Presidents Cup as my Captain's Assistant," Norman said. "From his vantage point of the past few years as an accomplished and respected analyst, and from his experience as a winner on TOUR and a past member of The Presidents Cup Team, I have a partner who will help formulate and inspire a team. Obviously his knowledge, his perception and his understanding of the way the game of golf is right now and, also, where the players are, is important. I've known Frank for a long period of time and I've seen what he's like behind the scenes at The Presidents Cup. He's very likable, very amenable to everybody, and other than that, he's very decisive in his decisions, and he's very impactful in any thought process he puts in."

Being asked to serve as Captain's Assistant touched Nobilo deeply.

"Growing up in New Zealand, the thought of playing golf in America was always the pipe dream," Nobilo said. "To support (Norman) in a quest to finally win The Presidents Cup on American soil would indeed be a great honor, but more importantly, a tribute to the incredible talent of the players who have developed around the world."