Meet Garrett Rank, the NHL ref headed to the U.S. Open, at the Dogwood

Rank hits his drive off the first tee in the second round of the Dogwood Invitational

Rank hits his drive off the first tee in the second round of the Dogwood Invitational

In a field at the Dogwood Invitational largely comprised of young up-and-comers eager to make a name in the golf world, Garrett Rank stands out.

On the surface, Rank, 30, is a grizzled veteran, polished in interviews, smiling from tee box to clubhouse. His calm demeanor noticeably contrasts with the intensity of most of his fellow amateurs. That alone separates him.

When you learn his real story, though, that juxtaposition takes on a whole new level.

If it seems as if Garrett Rank’s sunny disposition on the golf course gives off the appearance he’s just here to have fun, well, in many ways he is.

Rank, who is from Elmira, Ontario, works as a full-time NHL referee, working over 70 games per year. “At the end of the day you’ve got to have a job and pay the bills,” he said shortly after finishing his second round Thursday.

Winters are spent in the rink, penalizing some of the game’s more talented players and paying those bills. Summers are spent on the course, pursuing athletic accolades of his own on the amateur golf circuit.

But Rank’s time spent on the ice – and not on the grass – hardly appears to have hampered his game. Next week, Rank will head to Shinnecock to compete in the U.S. Open. He qualified a week ago with back-to-back rounds of 71 at Settindown Golf Club in Roswell after 10 years of amateur golf tournaments and qualifying events.

When he left the course that day, he had 238 texts. He managed to sift through all of them before Wednesday’s opening round at the Dogwood. “Then when I finished (Wednesday) -- in the span of four and a half hours -- I had 77 more when I got off the course,” he told amateurgolf.com.

“I mean, next week is probably the biggest week of my life,” Rank said.

Growing up in Canada, hockey naturally was his first sport. He climbed the ranks of the hockey world, even as a walk-on in college. As a teenager he decided to seek certification as a referee – a job that he took through college, the lower league levels, up to the NHL.

But golf always tagged alongside, never behind. As a kid, Rank acknowledges he eyed a potential future in professional golf.

This dichotomy naturally created adverse conditions for his golf progression – “obviously hockey gets in the way of golf,” he said matter-of-factly.

But that’s hardly adversity. He would know.

In 2011, Rank was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Luckily it was caught early, and he received treatment and was back on his feet within months. It was a warning shot to Rank, a lesson not to take anything for granted – to strive for any opportunity he sees.

A week after seizing the greatest opportunity of his life, with mere days before he steps foot on the course with the best golfers in the world, not much has changed. He’s just trying to steady his game ahead of a U.S. Open that will demand he hit the ball straight and keep it in play.

On Thursday, Rank took to his second round at the Dogwood Invitational, shooting even-par 72 for the second consecutive day. He’s tied for 40th overall, 11 shots behind leader S.M. Lee of Dalton State College. Thus far, Rank has tallied 10 birdies and 10 bogeys, and likely will head into the bright lights of a major tournament next week off a few turbulent rounds. But for him that hardly matters. Rank has had his eye on the U.S. Open his entire life.

Nothing will spoil that moment.

“It’s kind of what I’ve been playing with that mind-set the past couple of years, or since I’ve battled cancer,” he said. “At the end of the day, next week is a celebration for me of my golf career and my golf achievements. If I go there and shoot 70, great. If I go there and shoot 80, that’s fine. Essentially, with beating cancer, (it’s possible) I couldn’t be living today. Any time I get to go do cool opportunities and cool experiences like that, you can’t really look too down on them.”

After all, he’s just having fun.