Stripes Earns His Stripes

I don't write about golf much on this blog for obvious reasons. However, it is a favorite pastime of a large contingent of hockey players, so you'd think it would get more coverage here. To be honest, ever since I quit working at a local golf course as a teenager, I haven't played a solo round myself and it's very likely I will never play a round again. I did partake in a couple of rounds of best ball with a slo-pitch team I played on as a season-ending outing that happened years after my departure from the golf course, and that's the last time I ever ventured onto a golf course. I will break tradition by writing about golf today because the man holding the trophy has some solid links to the rink as well as being a heck of a player on the links. That deserves a little space here, so let's tell you about the man and his winnings!

Ladies and gentlemen, that man in the lede photo above is Garrett Rank, and Garrett Rank is an NHL referee! The 31 year-old is a former hockey player with the U SPORTS Waterloo Warriors where he was a double-scholarship athlete in hockey and golf! However, he put hockey on hold in his second year of university due to a diagnosis of testicular cancer which, thankfully, he defeated. He didn't give up on his golf dreams, though, and has continued playing while working as a hockey official in the winter!

So what's the deal with the trophy, you ask? Let's go to the press release from today.

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — Garrett Rank, of Ontario, Canada, beat the odds to win the 117th Western Amateur at Point O’ Woods Golf & Country Club on Saturday.

The 31-year-old Rank, an NHL referee, earned the George R. Thorne Trophy with a 3 and 2 victory over Daniel Wetterich, of Cincinnati, Ohio. The last mid-amateur to win the Western Amateur was Danny Green in 1997 at The Point, which was hosting the tournament this week for the first time since 2008.

"This is the end of a dream week," Rank said.

Rank, who finished fifth at 6 under in stroke play on Thursday, trailed in all four of his matches. He was 1 down after five in the final, but took the lead with a birdie at No. 7. Rank went 2 up after making a birdie on the ninth.

Wetterich answered with a birdie at No. 10, but Rank took control with back-to-back birdies at Nos. 14-15 to go 3 up. He parred the 16th to end the match.

That's a major accomplishment for Rank who is ranked as the 97th golfer in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. His name will now be among the winners that include a who's-who of golfers including Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, and Ben Crenshaw. The win also gives Rank an exemption into next year's Evans Scholars Invitational at The Glen Club in Glenview, Illinois.

"I've had a lot of close calls in big events," Rank said. "To finally break through is huge. I'm a big believer in the more you put yourself under pressure you learn something every time. I relied on that."

Rank carded six birdies and won seven holes. Wetterich made four birdies and won four holes. The two didn't tie a hole until No. 8.

"The front was back and forth, and it was fun," said Wetterich, an Ohio State graduate. "He just made a lot of putts, and he wouldn't give me any wiggle room."

With the victory, Rank becomes the second Canadian champion as he joins Jim Nelford who won the tournament in 1977, and Rank is the first international winner since Danny Lee in 2008.

"I know how important and cool this is in amateur golf," Rank said. "It hasn’t sunk in yet, and I'm sure I'll be even more proud when it does."

Rank will play in the Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship on August 20-23 before reporting to NHL training camp on September 9 when he goes back to his regular job. For Rank, turning golf into a full-time job isn't something he's considering at this moment.

"I have no regrets about not being professional," he said. "I have no doubt I could be a great pro and could do well in the game of golf. But I love my job. I have one of the coolest jobs in the world. I know how the ups and downs of golf work and have seen a lot of great players not make it.

"When you get to play in tournaments like this and have success, I don’t know why you would want to chase being a professional golfer."

Well said, Garrett. That's a huge win at one of the most prestigious amateur tournaments on the planet, and it speaks volumes to your dedication to the sport despite working as a professional hockey referee for the other eight months of the season. Congratulations on the biggest golf win of your career yet, and here's hoping this blog can write a handful of additional golf stories with you at the center!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!