Frank Nobilo Facts: 20 Things You Didn't Know About The CBS Sports Analyst

Frank Nobilo had a successful playing career before making a name for himself behind the mic as a golf analyst on the CBS Sports broadcast team, but there's plenty more to him than his playing and TV careers alone. Here are 20 things you may not be aware of about the 63-year-old.

1. Frank Nobilo was born in Auckland, New Zealand on 14 May 1960.

2. One of his early sporting passions was rugby league, which put him at odds with many of his classmates, who considered rugby union the superior form of the game.

3. Nobilo also loved tennis and played the game regularly with friend Mark Lewis, whose brother Chris reached the men's singles final at Wimbledon in 1983.

4. In an interview with Golf Australia, Nobilo revealed he played golf as an escape. His parents were going through a divorce and he said "golf was my salvation in my teenage years."

5. In 1977, he caddied for former PGA Tour pro Al Geiberger at a tournament close to his Auckland home.

6. He became the second-youngest winner of the New Zealand Amateur on his 18th birthday in 1978.

7. Nobilo turned professional a year later as he couldn't afford to remain an amateur. His first professional win came at the 1982 Reschs Pilsner New South Wales PGA Championship on the PGA Tour of Australasia.

8. He eventually claimed 14 professional wins, including the 1997 Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic on the PGA Tour, beating Brad Faxon in a playoff.

9. His best performance at a Major came with a T4 at the 1996 Masters, while he managed top 10 finishes at all four Majors.

10. Nobilo represented New Zealand at the World Cup of Golf 12 times between 1982 and 2000.

11. He played for the International Team at the Presidents Cup in each of the first three editions, including 1998, which was the only time to date the team has beaten the Americans.

12. He was named captain's assistant to Greg Norman at the 2009 and 2011 editions of the match. 

13. Nobilo was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 1997 and after going to the Mayo Clinic he was also diagnosed with inflammatory mono-arthritis. After attempting to play with medication, he eventually found he couldn't compete any longer and brought his professional career to an end in 2003.

14. In 1998, he was hit in the eye by a mishit golf ball, and the injury required 30 stitches.

15. He won over $2.8m in official money on the PGA Tour and €2m (around $2.25m) on the DP World Tour. 

16. He was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to golf as part of the 1998 Queen's Birthday Honours.

17. He is an ambassador for Nobilo Wines, which was founded by a relative, Nickola Nobilo.

18. His daughter Bianca is a journalist for CNN.

19. He is thought to be the great-grandson of an Italian pirate.

20. After his retirement form golf in 2003, Nobilo turned to television broadcasting, first working at the Golf Channel and NBC. He then joined CBS to replace Peter Oosterhuis in 2015, where he holds the role of analyst.