Warriors alum Garrett Rank qualifies for 2018 U.S. Open
WATERLOO, Ont. - Not often does one individual get to experience both stepping on an NHL surface and teeing it up at the U.S. Open but for Garrett Rank (Elmira) it comes as no surprise he will do both. NHL Referee and former student-athlete of the Warriors golf and hockey teams Garrett Rank (Elmira) showed he's got ice in his veins, qualifying for the 2018 U.S. Open.
Rank shot two-under at the 36-hole sectional qualifier yesterday at Ansley Golf Club's Settindown Creek Course near Roswell, Ga. to tie for first and earn one of three spots available at the event.
The Georgia tournament was one of 12 regional qualifiers on Monday. Another current Warrior was also competing in a sectional qualifier on Monday as Tyson Turchanski (Calgary/) made his way around the course at the Brookside Golf and Country Club in Ohio.
"Garrett has an inspiring story, and continues to be a proud ambassador for the Warriors," said director of athletics and recreation, Roly Webster.
"We congratulate Garrett on this latest accomplishment and we will be cheering him on as he competes on golfs' biggest stage."
Winner of the 2012 Totzke Trophy as Waterloo's Male Athlete of the Year, Rank was one of the most dominant golfers in the Ontario University Athletics scene winning back-to-back individual titles in 2010 and 2011.
On the national scene, Rank was once the second ranked Canadian Men's Amateur and 56th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and has won numerous tournaments at both the provincial and national level including the 2014 Canadian Mid-Amateur Championship and 2011 Toronto Star Amateur. He was the runner up at the 2012 US Mid-Amateur tournament and a member of Golf Canada's national team that same year.
He represented Canada alongside Austin Connelly at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto and teed off at the 2016 Canadian Open, where he made the cut and finished tied for 77th.
What is most impressive about Rank's golf resume is he has done it all while juggling his NHL officiating career. Rank made his officiating debut on January 15, 2015 and has been a regular on the ice at NHL rinks across North America ever since.
Rank is quick to point out that most NHLers are "very first class" in how they treat officials, he said "they do get on you", as he said in an interview with the Toronto Star.
Garrett went on to say in the interview: "One player said to me, 'I hear you play golf.' And I said, 'Yeah.' And he goes, 'Well, you better work on your putting, because you're not very good at this refereeing thing."
They were of course joking and it's his love of golf that has made him such a great official and this quote from his interview with the star sums it up perfectly:
"Whether I make the right calls or the wrong calls, I'm still getting a paycheque. Whereas in golf, if you make the wrong shots you're not going to get many paycheques," Rank said. "I'm probably just too much of a conservative personality to just go out there and get a career on the PGA Tour. But I'm really keen on both things still and have no regrets. I love where I am in officiating and enjoy playing golf."
The U.S. Open will take place from June 14-17 at the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Shinnecock Hills, NY. This will be the fifth U.S. Open held at the New York golf club.
Source: Waterloo Warriors