Norman names Nobilo as Presidents Cup assistant

International Presidents Cup team captain Greg Norman announced that Frank Nobilo will serve as his assistant for the 2009 Presidents Cup Oct. 6-11 at Harding Park Golf Course in San Francisco.

From his home in South Florida, Norman made the announcement via satellite during Golf Channel’s coverage of the first round of the Turning Stone Resort Championship, where Nobilo is the lead analyst along with host Rich Lerner.

Nobilo, a veteran of several professional golf tours worldwide and a three-time International Presidents Cup member, serves as a Golf Channel analyst for select PGA Tour events in addition to his role as lead analyst for the networks Champions Tour telecasts and studio shows.

Nobilo competed in the first Presidents Cup in 1994 and earned 1 1/2 points. In 1996 and 1998, he played alongside Norman for International captain Peter Thomson and finished his Presidents Cup career with a 5-8-1 overall record, contributing 2 points to the Internationals victory at the 1998 event in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

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 President Cup as my captains assistant, said Norman. From his vantage point of the past few years as an accomplished and respected analyst of our great game, and from his experience as a successful tournament winner on the PGA Tour and a past member of the President Cup team, I have a partner who will help formulate and inspire a team that will be willing and able to take on the USA with the ultimate goal of winning outright the President Cup for the first time since 1998.

Nobilo, 48, was born in Auckland, New Zealand, and won the PGA Tours 1997 Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic by defeating Brad Faxon in a playoff. He also owns two Sarazen World Opens and 14 wins worldwide. He played numerous World and Dunhill cups for his native New Zealand.

Growing up in New Zealand, the thought of playing golf in America was always the pipe dream, said Nobilo. Greg was the first of my era to make it all the way to the top and provided a path for many of us to follow. To support him 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.

Members of the 2009 International Team will be chosen on the basis of the Official World Golf Ranking through the 2009 PGA Championship (Aug. 16), plus two captains selections. The International team does not include players eligible for the European Ryder Cup.

U.S. captain Fred Couples announced Jay Haas as his captains assistant in March. The 2009 Presidents Cup marks the first time in the history of the event that all captains and captains assistants are former participants in the Presidents Cup.