U.S. MID-AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

September 28, 2021

Garrett Rank

Sankaty Head Golf Club

Quick Quotes

Q. In the second match, got hot on the back. What clicked in for you?

GARRETT RANK: Yeah, I've played the back nine well all week. I made six birdies on the back nine in stroke play, and then I made four birdies in my match this morning, so just like the back nine. You flip around into the wind, so it plays a lot longer, and yeah, I don't know, just hit some good shots, made a couple putts and hung in there on the few holes where I kind of got out of position.

Q. Further along now than you were in '19, the last time you were in this. You've got to feel a little good about where you stand right now.

GARRETT RANK: Yeah, played great all week, and just looking forward to coming out here -- I'm on vacation, right, on vacation in Nantucket, and playing golf tomorrow and playing good, so just go out there, hit it around and see what happens.

Q. Are you still in that mindset where you're free and easy because you don't have to worry about work right now?

GARRETT RANK: Yeah, it's definitely a difference from two years ago when I was trying to get to games in the middle of tournament, work games and come back. I'm here to play golf this week. Haven't really thought about hockey at all. Once this week is over, I'll start reading the rules and get back to work.

Q. Talk about the difficulty of playing in the wind, although you handled the 10th hole fine, and that was straight into it, right?

GARRETT RANK: Yeah, it's kind of crazy. You really have to realize that if you're 115 yards away from the pin, it actually could be an 8-iron, and that's just back home playing golf, you'd never do that. 115 yards might be a sand wedge or even a lob wedge for some people. You just have to hit the ball in the middle of the club face and keep it low along the ground.

Q. Do you have to change your stance in putting at all, because man, it was really whipping there.

GARRETT RANK: It was whipping today. I didn't putt this well this afternoon as I did this morning, and I think that was due to the wind. It's just hard to see a putt that's right edge and actually have to hit it outside the left edge of the hole because of the wind whipping across the green. I haven't changed anything, just tried to putt the same, and fortunately some of them have gone in.

Q. With all the changes because of the fog delay, do you have to rearrange in your mind how this championship is being conducted, because it's a little off schedule now.

GARRETT RANK: Yeah, not really. I think you're just going out there and playing the match you're playing against, and when it's over, it's over. It probably would have been tough to get it back on schedule, would have been a lot of golf in one of the days coming up. I mean, I'm exhausted right now. My feet hurt from the 30 holes that I played today. Yeah, just go get some rest for tomorrow. It's still a long week. Nothing has been accomplished yet.