Could we see a first-time title winner at the AMJ Players’ Championship?
There’s always something special about seeing someone win their first Grand Slam of Curling title.
Ross Whyte and his Scottish squad captured their first this season at the WFG Masters in January. It came down to the wire as Team Whyte made a tap for two points in the eighth end to edge Team Jacobs 5-4 in the men’s final.
Whyte, who finished runner-up in the event last season, became the fourth youngest men’s skip to win a Grand Slam title at age 26.
“It’s unreal,” Whyte said. “This is what you’re hoping for your whole career, getting to these points and winning those massive games.
“Thankfully, we’ve done it today and got over the line on our second try.”
There’s just one Grand Slam event left this season with the AMJ Players’ Championship running April 8-13 at Toronto’s Mattamy Athletic Centre.
Although the prestigious event is typically won by veteran teams, there are a couple who captured their first at the AMJ Players’ Championship in recent years, including Team Wranå (2023) and Team Sinclair (2018).
Could we see a first-time winner at the AMJ Players’ Championship this year? Here are four candidates, two from each division, to consider.
Team Muskatewitz
It’s been a breakout season for Team Muskatewitz. The German club — skip Marc Muskatewitz, third Benny Kapp, second Felix Messenzehl and lead Johannes Scheuerl — stunned world No. 1 Team Mouat in the European Championships men’s final in November to capture the gold medal.
Team Muskatewitz made its Grand Slam of Curling series debut at the HearingLife Tour Challenge Tier 2 in October then played in its first top-tier event at the KIOTI National in December. The squad squeezed into the playoffs with a 5-3 tiebreaker win over Team Hoesli.
Muskatewitz took a shorter path to the playoffs at the WFG Masters in January by qualifying straight through with a 3-1 record.
No German team has won a Grand Slam of Curling title … yet. Could Muskatewitz, ranked No. 8 in the world, become the first?
Team Schwaller
Yannick Schwaller is a one-time Grand Slam finalist and was close to capturing the Players’ Championship in 2023 until his team got Koe’d in the men’s final. Schwaller was up by two points in the eighth end, however, Kevin Koe’s team held the hammer and pulled off an unreal shot to score three and win 5-4.
Schwaller, fourth Benoît Schwarz-van Berkel, second Sven Michel and lead Pablo Lochat have been consistent performers, qualifying for the playoffs in eight straight Grand Slam events until missing the cut in last season’s Players’ Championship.
Ranked No. 4, Schwaller got off to a hot start this season winning the Stu Sells Oakville Tankard and AMJ Campbell Shorty Jenkins Classic back-to-back in September.
The Swiss squad has missed the playoffs in the Grand Slams only once this season, during the KIOTI National, when Schwaller was out of the lineup while recovering from knee surgery. With Schwaller returning to the fold, it was back to business as the team reached the quarterfinals at the WFG Masters.
While Schwaller seeks his first Grand Slam title, sharp-shooting Schwarz-van Berkel won the Canadian Open in 2018 with skip Peter de Cruz.
Team Kim
South Korea’s Eun-jung Kim competed in the Tier 2 division of the HearingLife Tour Challenge last season. After winning that event and climbing back into the top flight, Kim looks poised to capture a major championship in the series.
Kim has qualified for the playoffs in six consecutive Grand Slam of Curling events, including three straight runs to the semifinals leading up to this event.
What makes Kim’s WFG Masters run more impressive is her team was playing short-handed as third Kyeong-ae Kim was away at a mixed doubles event. That didn’t faze Team Kim, going undefeated 4-0 through round-robin play and downing Team Fujisawa 8-1 in the quarterfinals before running into world No. 1 Team Homan in the semis.
The 2018 Olympic silver medallist Kim is ranked fifth in the women’s division. Kim has two title wins on tour this season, including one in Toronto already from the Stu Sells Toronto Tankard at the High Park Club in October.
Team Tabata
Momoha Tabata has had a banner year, winning five tour events. Wouldn’t an AMJ Players’ Championship title be a nice cherry on top?
The Japanese team made its Grand Slam of Curling series debut at the HearingLife Tour Challenge Tier 2, moved up to the top ranks at the Co-op Canadian Open and made another leap reaching the quarterfinals of the WFG Masters.
Tabata, who throws last with third Miku Nihira handling skip duties, is ranked eighth after starting the season 28th.
