By Dwight Foxx
Staff Writer
The Augusta Chronicle

Frank Nobilo wasn't a serious threat in the 60th Masters, but the New Zealand native is happy with his performance.

He shot a final-day, 3-under-par 69 to finish fourth at 5-under-par 283, seven shots behind winner Nick Faldo. Nobilo earns a 1997 Masters invitation by finishing in the top 24.

``I'm delighted,'' Nobilo said. ``I never actually got an invitation. I always had to play my way in here. Basically, that (earning a 1997 invitation) was the goal at the start of the day.''

Nobilo played in the 1995 Masters but did not make the cut.

Even though he bogeyed the fifth hole - he also bogeyed No. 12 and No. 18 - he thought a par on the first hole really helped him out. He strung together four birdies in a row on holes 8 through 11. He shot 1-under on the front nine and 2-under on the back.

``I played the first couple of holes poorly,'' Nobilo said. ``I made a couple of par putts. When you do that it's only a matter of time before you start hitting some good shots. The first hole, I made a good 12- or 14-footer for par. And I just hung in there and I made a couple of more before I had played five or six holes.''

The 35-year-old said any time a golfer shoots a 69 on the last round of a major, ``you've got to be happy with that.''

Nobilo was spurred on by the energy of the fans and the atmosphere of the Masters. He has finished in the top 10 in every major he has entered in his career, except for last year's Masters. He finished tied for ninth in the 1994 U.S. Open and tied for 10th in last year's U.S. Open.

When asked if he would join the PGA Tour, Nobilo wasn't ready to commit. He's just trying to play one tournament at a time and make one decision at a time. His immediate plans are to play in the MCI Classic in Hilton Head, S.C., this week, then head back to London. He turned professional in 1979 and has played on the European Tour since 1985.

``It depends,'' Nobilo said. ``I enjoy it here. If I was classified as a European player, I would. That's always the key as the rules go. If I could flip backward and forward; I don't really want to give up Europe. Europe is what got me in here (the Masters). I enjoy playing on both sides of the Atlantic. I would hate, actually, to have to forego one or the other.''

Nobilo said he felt bad for Greg Norman, who lost his six-shot lead and the Masters championship to Faldo. Nobilo was on the driving range with Norman Sunday morning and Norman indicated he would have preferred a two-shot lead going into the final day. He called Norman the greatest golfer in the world.

``He's got to be bleeding,'' Nobilo said. ``He has to be bleeding. People (should) look at it from a positive view. They shouldn't take away from what Nick Faldo (did).''

To him, Faldo played the round that was required in order to beat Norman.

``It's tough out there,'' Nobilo said. ``If you get out there and start playing it yourself, you can see what can go wrong.''

The New Zealander said the hole gets smaller on Sunday due to the pressure involved in a major, but when you start making some putts, like he did, you feel good. With a few more birdies, he could have been in the running for the green jacket.

``Toward the end, I started to look at the flags,'' Nobilo said. ``You never know. I felt like I wanted to play another nine holes.''