Rank qualifies for U.S. amateur

STOUFFVILLE — Garrett Rank has qualified for the U.S. men’s amateur golf championship.

The Elmira native achieved the feat Monday, along with John Foster and Jake McNulty, by shooting a course-record, 9-under-par 63 during the second round of the day at the Granite Golf Club.

Rank, who shot nine birdies during his record round, finished first at the qualifying tournament at 10 under.

“Any time you set a course record it’s really neat,” the 29-yearold Rank, a National Hockey League referee, told Golf Canada. “But more so it means that the golf was really fun. It was just fun being out there, making lots of birdies, hitting a lot of quality shots — and seeing the ball roll in the hole is always fun.

“These are the days where you have to sit back for 15, 20 minutes or maybe even an hour and actually soak it in and really enjoy it, because these days are few and far between.”

Rank stumbled down the stretch in his first round, recording three bogeys and a triple bogey during his final six holes.

They were his only bogeys of the competition.

“It was just bad course strategy,” he said. “I was just a little too aggressive at certain parts trying to make birdies, but in the second round I just tried to make pars during those holes and it worked out.”

Rank, the three-time defending Canadian mid-amateur championship, will compete at next week’s RBC Canadian Open in Oakville.

Foster, a 24-year-old from Concord, finished five strokes behind Rank, after he scored a 1-under-par 71 followed by a 68. McNulty, of Port Perry, was another shot behind.

The U.S. Amateur Championship will take place at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., on Aug. 14-20. The tournament consists of 36 holes of stroke play, before the top 64 move on to match play.