Howard edges McEwen to win Players’ Championship
TORONTO — Glenn Howard of Coldwater, Ont., completed an undefeated run through the season-ending Players’ Championship with a 4-3 victory over Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen in Sunday’s final at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
Howard, third Wayne Middaugh, second Brent Laing and lead Craig Savill earned $26,000 plus an additional $50,000 for finishing first in the Grand Slam Bonus Cup standings.
It’s the second Grand Slam title of the season and 12th of his career as a skip for Howard, who also took home the Canadian Open in November.
“This was by far the biggest championship we won this season,” Howard said in a media release. “For us, it’s an outstanding feeling going into the summer with this finish — it can’t get any better.”
McEwen, who also finished runner-up at the National, opened the scoring with a steal in the first. Howard knotted it up with a single in the third and took a 2-1 lead in the fourth when McEwen attempted to score three but wrecked his shot and handed Howard a point instead. McEwen bounced back in the sixth to square it and Howard gave up a one-point lead in the seventh when he attempted to score two but couldn’t get his final rock past McEwen’s guards.
McEwen’s final shot in eight was off by just a few inches and enough for Howard to nail a double takeout for the winning deuce.
Team McEwen collected $15,500 plus $30,000 for finishing second overall in the Bonus Cup.
Scotland’s Eve Muirhead topped Sweden’s Margaretha Sigfridsson 8-5 in the women’s final to capture her first career Grand Slam and become the youngest skip at age 22 to win a title in the series.
The Grand Slam of Curling series returns in the fall with the Masters, Oct. 29 to Nov. 3, in Abbotsford, B.C.
