Golf: Decline of Nobilo brings high cost

By Graham Skellern

After playing in the United States Masters for the past four years and finishing fourth in 1996, New Zealand golfer Frank Nobilo has missed out on a prized invitation this year.

Nobilo, who has slipped to 76th on the world rankings, has been affected by a new set of qualifications for the most exclusive major championship in golf, to be played at Augusta National, Georgia, from April 8 to 11.

Instead of inviting international players at their discretion, the Masters officials for the first time decided to take the top 50 from the world rankings at the end of last year and then any others who made the top 50 after the Doral-Ryder Open last week.

And Nobilo kept sliding down the rankings from of a high a 26 at the start of last year.

There are other qualifying marks such as past major champions and top-24 finish in last year's Masters (won by Mark O'Meara), and Nobilo's only chance now is if he wins either of the next three events on the USPGA Tour - this week's Bay Hill Invitational, the Players Championship and the BellSouth Classic.

Because of the qualifying changes, this year's field of 95 players is the largest since 1966. The field include Trevor Immelman, the young South African amateur star who competed in New Zealand last year.

On the latest world rankings, Greg Turner is the leading New Zealander at 63rd, which two weeks ago would have been good enough to make the $10 million World Matchplay event, instead of being first reserve. Philip Tataurangi is 158th and Michael Long 184th.