Garrett Rank edges Evan Nachtigall for fourth Canadian Mid-Amateur title

Garrett Rank of Waterloo, Ontario, added another national title to his impressive amateur résumé, closing with a 3-under 69 to win the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship by one stroke at 18-under 270.

Rank, a full-time NHL referee, entered the final round two shots behind 54-hole leader Evan Nachtigall of Brandon, Manitoba, but quickly cut into the deficit with a birdie at the opening hole. Nachtigall bogeyed the third to bring the two level, setting up a back-and-forth battle for the remainder of the round.

They reached the 18th tee tied at 18-under. Rank made par on the closing hole, while Nachtigall dropped a shot, giving Rank his fourth Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur title and first since winning three consecutive championships from 2014 through 2016.

Rank finished with rounds of 64-68-69-69 and recorded two eagles and 22 birdies over the four rounds.

Nachtigall, who had led after both the second and third rounds, closed with an even-par 72 to finish runner-up at 17-under 271 following rounds of 64-67-68-72.

Cam Burke of Kitchener finished third at 15-under 273 after rounds of 69-67-67-70. Eric Flockhart of London surged into fourth with a closing 65 to reach 12-under 276, while Jaret Chipman of Niagara Falls completed the top five at 11-under 277.

Rank also earned an exemption into the 2026 U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship at Sand Valley Resort, along with spots in the 2027 Canadian Men’s Amateur and 2027 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur.

Couture claims second Mid-Master title

In the Mid-Master Division, Rob Couture of Celina, Texas, closed with a 5-under 67 to win by one stroke at 10-under 278.

Couture posted rounds of 71-70-70-67 to capture his second Mid-Master title, a decade after first winning the division in 2016.

The victory adds another Canadian championship to Couture's record. He was also the 2011 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur champion.

Alex Large of Dead Man's Flats, Alberta, finished one shot behind Couture in the Mid-Master competition.

Evan Nachtigall of Brandon, Manitoba, maintained his grip on the Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, posting a 4-under 68 Thursday to take a two-shot lead into the final round at Brantford Golf & Country Club in Brantford, Ontario.

Nachtigall, the 2025 Manitoba Golfer of the Year, wasted little time adding to his advantage. He opened his third round with an eagle at the first and added four birdies to reach 17-under through 54 holes.

After beginning the championship with an 8-under 64, Nachtigall has followed with rounds of 67 and 68 to remain atop the leaderboard entering Friday's final 18 holes.

Waiting just two shots behind is one of the championship's most accomplished players.

Garrett Rank of Waterloo, Ontario, carded five birdies in a third-round 69 to reach 15-under and take sole possession of second place.

Rank is chasing his fourth Canadian Men's Mid-Amateur title after winning three consecutive championships from 2014 through 2016. A victory Friday would make him only the third player to win the event at least four times, joining Stu Hamilton, a four-time champion, and Graham Cooke, who won seven.

Mid-Master title also up for grabs

The Mid-Master Division is set for its own final-round battle, with Derek Meinhart of Mattoon, Ill., and Alex Large of Dead Man's Flats, Alberta, tied for the lead at 9-under.

Meinhart moved into a share of the lead with a 3-under 69 featuring four birdies. Large stayed alongside him after an even-par 72.

The Canadian Men's Mid-Amateur champion will also earn an exemption into the 2026 U.S. Mid-Amateur at Sand Valley Resort, along with spots in the 2027 Canadian Men's Amateur and Canadian Men's Mid-Amateur.

The championship began with 156 players before the field was reduced to the low 70 and ties following 36 holes.

Evan Nachtigall of Brandon, Manitoba, moved into the solo lead after the second round of the 2026 Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship, firing a 5-under 67 at Brantford Golf & Country Club in Brantford, Ontario.

Nachtigall, the 2025 Manitoba Golfer of the Year, followed his opening 8-under 64 with six birdies Wednesday to reach 13-under through 36 holes. Five of those birdies came over his first six holes as he quickly separated himself from the group that had shared the opening-round lead.

Three-time Canadian Men’s Mid-Amateur champion Garrett Rank of Waterloo, Ontario, remains his closest challenger. Rank added a 4-under 68, featuring an eagle and five birdies, to sit one shot behind Nachtigall heading into the third round.

"It was just a lot of the same thing I did yesterday, being aggressive off tees and attacking pins," Nachtigall said. "I felt like I kind of figured something else out on the practice green last night and was rolling them a little better."

Nachtigall's round also helped deliver a long-awaited team title for Manitoba.

Alongside Jordy Lutz of Winnipeg and David Spurr of Oakbank, Nachtigall led Team Manitoba to its first Inter-Provincial Team Championship since 2005.

Manitoba finished the 36-hole competition at 15-under, winning the R. Bruce Forbes Trophy by four shots. Nachtigall's 67 and Lutz's 73 counted toward Wednesday's team total, while Spurr posted a 75.

In the Mid-Master Division, Alex Large of Dead Man's Flats, Alberta, and Haymes Snedeker of Point Clear, Alabama, share the lead at 9-under.

The original field of 156 players was reduced following the second round to the low 70 and ties for the final two rounds.

Along with the Canadian Men's Mid-Amateur title, the champion will earn an exemption into the 2026 U.S. Mid-Amateur at Sand Valley Resort, as well as spots in the 2027 Canadian Men's Amateur and 2027 Canadian Men's Mid-Amateur.