Garrett Rank ended a pair of droughts Saturday in Benton Harbor, Mich.
Not only did the 31-year-old Rank become the first mid-amateur since 1997 to win the prestigious Western Amateur, but his 3-and-2 victory over Daniel Wetterich at Point O'Woods marked the first Western title for a Canadian-born player since 1977.
Not bad for a professional hockey referee who plays the majority of his competitive golf during the NHL offseason.
Rank navigated his way through arguably the most grueling amateur tournament, finishing fifth in stroke play before winning four matches in two days. He knocked off UCLA's Hidetoshi Yoshihara, Clemson's Turk Pettit and Arizona's David Laskin to punch his ticket to Saturday afternoon's final.