News Masters

LLOYDMINSTER, Sask. — It’s beginning to feel like crunch time in the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling.

With several Canadian teams gearing up for December’s Olympic Trials (and next month’s pre-trials first for some), the Masters stands as a major test before they hit exams. Featuring 15 of the top men’s teams and 15 of the top women’s teams from around the world, there’s no better way to prepare than by playing against the best.

Like every test, you need a cheat sheet to study and that’s where Eight Ends comes into play. Here’s the rundown of what you need to know ahead of Tuesday’s opening draw at Centennial Civic Centre.

1st End: A brief history of the Masters

The Masters is the second event and first major of the 2017-18 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season. What makes the Masters a major? It’s one of the original four events of the series alongside the Boost National, Meridian Canadian Open and Players’ Championship events.

The first Masters tournament was held during the inaugural 2001-02 Grand Slam season in Gander, N.L. Bruce Korte won the title defeating Jeff Stoughton in the final.

Glenn Howard holds the record for most Masters titles won with six including four consecutively from 2006-09.

The Masters expanded in 2012 to include a women’s division and was the first event under Sportsnet’s ownership. Rachel Homan was crowned champion and also won the title again the following year. Homan captured her record third Masters women’s title in 2015.

Niklas Edin and Allison Flaxey enter the Masters as the defending champions winning their first Grand Slam titles at the event a year ago in Okotoks, Alta. Edin became the first non-Canadian men’s skip to win a Grand Slam as well.

2nd End: In case you’re just joining us

The Tour Challenge opened the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season in early September down the road in Regina. Both Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., and Edmonton’s Val Sweeting skipped their teams to unblemished 7-0 records to capture the Tier 1 titles.

Gushue rolled right past Norway’s Steffen Walstad 9-1 in the men’s final while Sweeting stole in the eighth to clip Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg 6-5 for the women’s championship.

Winnipeg’s Jason Gunnlaugson and Kerri Einarson were victorious in the Tier 2 division to earn promotions to the elite group at the Masters. Gunnlaugson edged city rival William Lyburn 8-7 while Einarson beat Calgary’s Chelsea Carey 7-4 in the finals.

3rd End: What’s at stake?

The winning teams each receive $30,000 of the $250,000 total purse (all figures in Canadian dollars). They also qualify for the season-ending Humpty’s Champions Cup running April 24-29 at Calgary’s WinSport Arena.

Teams also earn points towards the Bonus Cup, awarded annually to the season champions with additional prize money. They’re also battling for World Curling Tour Order of Merit points, which will ensure whether or not they qualify for future Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling tournaments.

4th End: Quick look at the tour

Speaking of the reigning men’s champ, Edin successfully defended the Curling Masters Champery title in Switzerland. Edin defeated Scotland’s Greg Drummond 6-3 in Sunday’s final. Team Edin went 7-1 through the tournament with their lone blemish coming in their first game against Tom Brewster’s Scottish squad. That should give Edin a nice little confidence boost heading into the Masters, but his team may also feel a bit of jet-lag to start.

China’s Rui Liu won his second tour title in three weeks capturing the ARENA Challenge de Curling de Gatineau in Quebec. Liu, who went undefeated at 6-0, beat Switzerland’s Peter de Cruz 8-2 in Sunday’s final. That followed up on Liu’s victory earlier this month at Edmonton’s Direct Horizontal Drilling Fall Classic.

American Nina Roth took down the Canad Inns Women’s Classic in Portage la Prairie, Man., defeating Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg 5-4 in an extra end during in Monday’s final. Roth (8-1) qualified B-side in the triple knockout, stunned Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones 8-3 in the quarterfinals and scored three in the eighth and stole two in the extra to complete a 6-4 comeback win over Edmonton’s Kelsey Rocque.

5th End: Men’s division preview

Gushue reclaimed the No. 1 spot on the World Curling Tour’s OOM following his win at the start of this month at the Swiss Cup Basel. The reigning world champion extended his lead picking up his third title of the season the following week at the Stu Sells Toronto Tankard to maintain his red-hot momentum.

Brad Jacobs (Shorty Jenkins Classic) and Reid Carruthers (Canad Inns Men’s Classic) have also won high-profile WCT events since the Tour Challenge and are heating up.

Mike McEwen makes his Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season debut after missing the Tour Challenge (third B.J. Neufeld and lead Denni Neufeld were attending a wedding). Matt Wozniak, who filled in as our “bumper boy” at the Tour Challenge, will be back in his more familiar role at second for Team McEwen.

6th End: Women’s division preview

Homan has bounced back from a disappointing run at the Tour Challenge (1-3, missed playoffs) picking up two tour titles winning the Prestige Hotels & Resorts Curling Classic and the Curlers Corner Autumn Gold Classic.

Silvana Tirinzoni is riding a spirited victory at the Swiss Olympic Trials earlier this month and will represent her country in the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

American Jamie Sinclair didn’t need to win the Tier 2 to move up the ranks. Sinclair, who was a semifinalist in Regina, captured the Shorty Jenkins Classic to vault up the standings and into the Masters.

Scotland’s Eve Muirhead (HDF Insurance Shoot-Out), Switzerland’s Alina Paetz (Stockholm Ladies Curling Cup) and Winnipeg’s Michelle Englot (Mother Club Fall Curling Classic) also enter with title wins since the Tour Challenge.

7th End: Masters matches

The Masters begins Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. MT with Sweeting meeting Casey Scheidegger of Lethbridge in a Battle of Alberta. Draw 1 also features Jones and Sherry Middaugh of Coldwater, Ont., in a rematch of the 2013 Olympic Trials final, Sinclair versus Russia’s Anna Sidorova and Paetz playing Jacqueline Harrison of Mississauga, Ont.

Gushue and Homan will both be in action during Draw 2 Tuesday evening. Gushue goes up against Scotland’s Kyle Smith while Homan faces Englot. Elsewhere, Gunnlaugson clashes with Calgary’s Kevin Koe, Saskatoon’s Steve Laycock takes on Pat Simmons’ Winnipeg team and McEwen meets American John Shuster.

And that’s just the first day. Round-robin action runs through to Friday with the playoffs set for the weekend. Without turning this into a formatting nightmare, CLICK HERE to see the full draw schedule.

8th End: Tickets & TV

Single draw, full-event and weekend passes are available at Lloydgsoc.goigniter.com or by calling 306-825-5161.

Can’t make it to Lloydminster? Television coverage begins Thursday at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sportsnet. CLICK HERE for the full TV schedule. Also watch online by subscribing to Sportsnet NOW (Canada) or gsoc.yaretv.com (international).