Golf: Nobilo and Long make Cup team by default

By Graham Skellern

In-form New Zealand professional golfers Michael Campbell and Philip Tataurangi passed up the opportunity of representing their country at the rich World Cup in Malaysia from November 19-22.

With New Zealand's No 1 Greg Turner bypassing the event because his wife Jane is expecting their second child at that time, Campbell was the next-highest-ranked-player to be selected.

Campbell, who has put in some consistent performances on the European PGA Tour this season, has risen to 179th on the world rankings, and 46th in Europe.

The Wellingtonian made himself unavailable for the World Cup, saying he had committed himself to the South Australian Open being played at the same time with much less prize money.

Next on the ranking list at 184 is Tataurangi, who has had two top 10 finishes on the USPGA Tour during his last three outings. But he also made himself unavailable, saying he had to try to retain his playing card on the tough US tour.

The USPGA Tour season will be finished well before the World Cup, but if Tataurangi has missed the top 125 then he will have to attend the qualifying school in late November.

New Zealand's fourth and fifth ranked golfers, Frank Nobilo and Michael Long, were selected for the World Cup - the 208th ranked Long, who is struggling to retain his European playing card, just edging out Grant Waite, ranked 212.

Nobilo, 149th on the USPGA Tour money list, is also in danger of missing the top 125 but he loves pulling on the black New Zealand jersey and was happy to make a record 11th appearance at the World Cup near Kuala Lumpur.

The word is that if Nobilo, who two years ago was ranked in the world's top 30, doesn't make the US tour's top 125 then he won't bother with qualifying school and will rejoin the European tour next year - where he has found plenty of success in the past.

Coincidentally, Nobilo's best performance this year was in Europe at the British Open where he tied for 18th. The experienced Nobilo seems to thrive on tougher courses and in testing conditions.

Nobilo, along with Turner and Tataurangi, has also been selected for the three-man New Zealand team to join 15 other nations at the Dunhill Cup at St Andrews, Scotland, from October 7-10.

With his mind on Europe, Nobilo seems certain of playing the Dunhill but there is doubt about Tataurangi - and Campbell, now ranked higher, may get a deserved late call to the New Zealand side.

The United States will again be a strong force at St Andrews, with former British Open winner Tom Lehman confirming yesterday that he will join Mark O'Meara and Payne Stewart in the team.

Stewart, O'Meara and Lehman have won six majors between them. And Lehman's inclusion ended speculation that Tiger Woods might be the third US team member.

South Africa will field the same team that has won the cup in the past two years - Ernie Els, David Frost and Retief Goosen - while Scotland will field the European money leader Colin Montgomerie, 1999 British Open champion Paul Lawrie and Gary Orr.