News Masters

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — Different name, same result. 

Glenn Howard defeated Kevin Koe for the third consecutive year in the final of the tournament now known as the World Cup of Curling, previously the Masters. Howard captured his 10th career Grand Slam of Curling title with Sunday’s 6-4 victory.

The Coldwater, Ont., team of Howard, Richard Hart, Brent Laing and Craig Savill collected $24,000 by finishing the tournament with an unblemished 9-0 record. It’s actually a four-peat for Howard, who beat Randy Ferbey in the 2006 final to kickstart the run.

Koe, of Edmonton, jumped on the board first by stealing two points in the opening frame after Howard’s draw attempt to the button with his last shot rolled heavy.

Trailing 3-1 through three ends, Howard drew even with a deuce in the fourth. A beautiful triple takeout for a single in the sixth gave Koe a one-point advantage with two ends to play.

The momentum shifted in the seventh when Howard scored another deuce to grab his first lead of the game 5-4. Koe held the hammer coming home but couldn’t pull off a tricky angle raise and Howard tacked on a single steal to stymie his opponent once again.

Koe now holds a 0-6 record as a skip in Grand Slam finals. He won the Players’ Championship in 2004 as the vice skip for John Morris.

The World Cup of Curling served as a tune-up for the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics featuring five of the top Canadian squads plus nine teams from countries set to compete in the Vancouver Games.

It was the first Grand Slam of Curling event held in the Greater Toronto Area. 

Meanwhile, Scotland’s Eve Muirhead won the Three Nations Cup women’s division posting a 3-1 record in the four-team, round-robin tournament. Reigning world champion Bingyu Wang of China and Saskatoon’s Stefanie Lawton both posted 2-2 records while 2006 Olympic bronze medallist Shannon Kleibrink of Okotoks, Alta., went 1-3.