NHL hockey referees don’t usually moonlight in the U.S. Open.
But Garrett Rank isn’t your average NHL official. He’s ranked in the Top 100 amateur golfers in the world, made the cut at the RBC Canadian Open, won multiple Canadian Mid-Am titles, and played on Canada’s National Amateur Team.
And this week, Rank, 31, who works a full NHL schedule, will tee it up at Shinnecock Hills after winning a spot in a U.S. Open qualifier. Needless to say, he’s pretty pumped about the opportunity.
“I’ve got a real job, so I consider this like the pinnacle of my golf career this week,” Rank told media this week at the U.S. Open in Long Island, NY. “I’m going to go out there and, obviously, I have internal expectations on how I want to play and what I want to do. But at the end of the day, this is just a celebration for me and my family and friends.”
Rank, who battled testicular cancer while at university, grew up as a hockey player before switching to officiating. In 2017 he worked his way into a regular spot in the NHL, while continuing to play golf in top amateur events in the summer.
His abilities as a golfer—Rank would likely have turned professional if the NHL hadn’t come calling—has generated some interest among hockey’s best, many of whom play golf when their season on the ice comes to an end. Rank finds the connection helpful—sometimes even during games.
“They sometimes are like, ‘Yeah, coach told me to come over here and ask you about this, but I don’t really want to talk about that. I want to talk about golf,’” Rank says. “So, it kind of provides kind of a cushion or layer of personality and interaction between me and the players on the ice.”
And hockey has taken notice of Rank’s accomplishment. After all, few refs are calling penalties one week, and playing with Mackenzie Hughes and Aaron Baddeley at the U.S. Open the next.
“The reaction from the hockey community has been huge,” Ranks says. “I think every official on our staff sent me a text and congratulated me and said they’d be following along and are really proud of me.
“I even had a few phone calls asking if it was me, like if that was the same Garrett Rank,” he says. “I’m like, ‘I don’t know of too many other people with the same name, but, yeah, that’s me. I’m going to the U.S. Open!’”
