Rank outlasted the kids for a Western Amateur title – a win that's unheard of for a thirtysomething in today’s amateur climate. In fact, he becomes the first mid-amateur to win this title since 1997.
The foreshadowing came from Rank’s own mouth on Friday evening, after playing his way to the semifinals.
“I’ve been playing a lot of really good golf the last three or four weeks,” he said.
True to his word, Rank started his summer with an 11th-place finish at the Dogwood Invitational. As he accepted his award for low mid-amateur honors, Rank made one thing clear: He still wants to beat the young guys, and he still very much believes he can.We really hope Hoisting the Thorne becomes a thing. pic.twitter.com/MHC1r6FT6u
— WGA Championships (@WGAChamps) August 3, 2019
Rank made a remarkable five starts in the seven weeks between the Dogwood and the Western. He finished fifth at last week’s Porter Cup.
Rank’s trip to the final match included head-to-head wins against UCLA’s Hidetoshi Yoshihara, Clemson's Turk Pettit and Arizona’s David Laskin.
On Saturday afternoon, he took on Ohio State graduate Daniel Wetterich, another player who has shown up week in and week out on the amateur circuit. The two men traded the lead back and forth, with Rank making birdie at the ninth to take a 2-up lead into the back nine. He won by an eventual 3-and-2 margin.
“I’ve had a lot of close calls in big events,” Rank said. “To finally break through is huge. I’m a big believer in the more you put yourself under pressure you learn something every time. I relied on that.”
The win gives Rank an exemption into next year’s Evans Scholars Invitational at The Glen Club in Glenview, Illinois. Wetterich also received an invitation into the Korn Ferry Tour event.
“I’m really excited about how I played,” Wetterich said. “Overall, I’m really content with the week, and I will build on what I did [Saturday] going forward.”
Quotes from the Western Golf Association used in this report