Homan, Gushue to headline Players’ Championship field
Rachel Homan looks to re-write the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling record books once again this season.
Homan headlines the women’s field set to compete at the Players’ Championship running April 12-17 at Ryerson’s Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto.
The Ottawa-based rink of Homan, Emma Miskew, Joanne Courtney and Lisa Weagle became the first women’s team to win three consecutive Grand Slam major titles this season and now aim for the sweep at the Players’ Championship.
Team Homan was also the first women’s team to compete in a Pinty’s GSOC men’s invitational and score a win over a high-ranked men’s team since Sportsnet acquired the series in 2012 when they competed in the Elite 10 earlier this month.
Joining Homan for the sixth event of the Pinty’s GSOC season are five-time Players’ Championship winner Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg, defending champ Eve Muirhead of Scotland, and Tour Challenge Tier 1 champ Silvana Tirinzoni of Switzerland. Worlds bronze medallist Anna Sidorova of Russia and Scotties Tournament of Hearts champion Chelsea Carey also headline the field.
Meanwhile on the men’s side, Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., has a chance for a career Grand Slam when he sets his sights on the Players’ Championship.
Gushue, who has won the National and Elite 10 titles this season, could join an exclusive group with only Kevin Martin, Glenn Howard, Wayne Middaugh, and Jeff Stoughton having skipped their teams to all four major titles. Team Gushue also enter the Players’ Championship atop of the Rogers Grand Slam Cup leaderboard with a chance to earn a $75,000 bonus.
Not far behind Gushue in the chase for the Rogers Grand Slam Cup are reigning Brier champ and Tour Challenge Tier 1 winner Kevin Koe of Calgary, Masters champion Mike McEwen of Winnipeg, and Elite 10 runner-up Reid Carruthers of Winnipeg.
Tickets are now available for the Players’ Championship, visit thegrandslamofcurling.com/tickets for details and keep it here for an announcement of the full draw schedule soon.
Below are the teams who will compete in the 2016 Players’ Championship:
