News Tour Challenge

CRANBROOK, B.C. — Recent Masters winner Allison Flaxey of Caledon, Ont., has kept the momentum going and is off to a 2-0 start in the Tour Challenge Tier 1.

Flaxey, who earned her first Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling women’s title just over a week ago in Okotoks, Alta., fended off a late surge from Switzerland’s Silvana Tirinzoni to win 8-7 in an extra end during Draw 3 action Wednesday afternoon.

The defending champion Tirinzoni opened with the hammer in the first end and settled for a single. Flaxey scored three points in the second to take the lead, forced Tirinzoni to hit and stick for another single in the third and added another three-ender in the fourth to lead 6-2 at the break.

Tirinzon closed the gap closed in the second half taking two in the fifth. The teams alternated singles in six and seven and Tirinzoni stole two in the eighth to force the extra end. 

Meanwhile, reigning Olympic gold medallist Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg picked up a 5-3 victory versus Sherry Middaugh of Coldwater, Ont., and Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg scored three in the eighth to lift her squad to a 7-5 win over Alina Paetz of Switzerland.

In men’s division action, Team Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., skipped by Mark Nichols, crushed Scotland’s Kyle Smith 9-4. Nichols pulled away with a three count in the third and a fiver in the fifth. Regular vice Nichols is skipping the team for the seventh consecutive event with skip Brad Gushue out due to a hip injury. Adam Spencer is filling in at third.

American John Shuster held off Brendan Bottcher of Edmonton 6-5. 

NOTES: The Tour Challenge is the second of seven events on the 2016-17 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling schedule. … TV coverage begins Thursday at 3 p.m. ET / Noon PT on Sportsnet and online/mobile at Sportsnet NOW. … Tour Challenge action continues Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. MT. … The Tour Challenge runs through to Sunday at Western Financial Place (all Tier 1 games and Tier 2 finals) and Memorial Arena (Tier 2 games from round-robin play to semifinals).