Epping earns Champions Cup spot, leads Pinty’s Cup
John Epping hit the jackpot at the Canadian Beef Masters.
Epping and his Toronto-based club, who defeated Team Kevin Koe 7-4 in Sunday’s men’s final in Truro, N.S., picked up 12 points in the Pinty’s Cup race to sprint to the top of the standings and earned a berth for the Humpty’s Champions Cup.
Although Team Epping already had a 99.9 percent chance of qualifying (with a 0.1 percent margin of error) for the season-ending Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling event thanks to winning the World Curling Tour’s Shorty Jenkins Classic in September, their Canadian Beef Masters victory leaves no doubt whatsoever with their spot now secured.
“It’s huge for us,” Epping said after fending off Koe. “We want to play in every Slam that we can and to qualify for that one, making sure we’re in all seven now probably this year, is awesome. Also, the Pinty’s Cup too, to get some points and get ourselves in the mix for that, it’s great.”
The Pinty’s Cup is awarded to the overall season men’s and women’s champions. Teams collect bonus points at Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling events based on their results with the top four in each division following the conclusion of the Players’ Championship cashing in additional prize money including $75,000 to the winners.
Team Epping (19 points total) hold a slim two-point lead over Princess Auto Elite 10 winners Team Brad Gushue (17 points). The reigning Pinty’s Cup men’s champions earned five points at the Canadian Beef Masters as quarterfinalists.
Team Koe sit in third place with 14 points followed by Team Carruthers at 11 points.
Team Anna Hasselborg maintained the top spot of the women’s division following up their first Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling title victory at the Princess Auto Elite 10 with another championship at the Canadian Beef Masters.
The reigning Olympic gold medallists from Sweden scored three in the final end to edge Team Rachel Homan 8-7 in Sunday’s women’s final.
There is not going to be a three-peat, however, as Team Hasselborg will miss the Tour Challenge as they prepare for the European Championships. With Hasselborg idle, it’ll give Homan (second place, 16 points), Team Jennifer Jones and Team Casey Scheidegger (both tied for third place with 12 points apiece) great opportunities to gain ground.
The Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season resumes Tuesday for the Tour Challenge at Tournament Centre in Thunder Bay, Ont.
Winners of the Tier 1 divisions will earn entry to the Humpty’s Champions Cup running April 23-28, 2019, at Saskatoon’s Merlis Belsher Arena.
2019 Humpty’s Champions Cup field
* – If a team wins more than one of the events listed, the winner of the next-ranked WCT event (based on strength of field) will be invited.
