Homan steals game from Grandy for first win at WFG Masters
SASKATOON — It was a case of no hammer, no problem for Ottawa’s Team Rachel Homan to start their run in the WFG Masters.
Thievery was the name of the game as Homan didn’t have last-rock advantage once against Vancouver’s Team Clancy Grandy but was able to steal a total of six points for a 6-1 win Tuesday afternoon at Merlis Belsher Place.
“We have a tough pool ahead of us, so it’s nice to be able to start with a W and get a good handle on the ice,” Team Homan third Tracy Fleury said. “We felt good out there.”
Team Homan is ranked third in the world and currently sports an impressive 27-3 win-loss record with three title wins on tour.
“It’s been a great season so far,” Fleury said. “It’s year two together and I think we’re all feeling more comfortable, getting to know each other and just having a lot of fun out there.”
After Grandy blanked the first, the three-time Masters champ Homan stole single points in three consecutive ends to lead 3-0 heading into the fourth-end break.
Homan doubled her points total in the fifth as Grandy continued to struggle and was wide and deep on her draw to give up three more points. Grandy settled for a single in the sixth end to break the shutout and shook hands.
Elsewhere in Draw 3, Team Anna Hasselborg from Sweden earned a 9-3 victory over Winnipeg’s Team Kaitlyn Lawes.
Switzerland’s Team Silvana Tirinzoni scored five in the second and then hung for an 8-6 win against Team Rebecca Morrison from Scotland.
Morrison settled for a single in the third and stole one in the fourth to make it 5-2 at the break. The four-time reigning world champion Tirinzoni was forced to one in the fifth and Morrison scored three in the sixth then stole one in the seventh to tie it up 6-all.
Team Tirinzoni fourth Alina Pätz didn’t need to throw her last in the eighth end, however, as they already sat two stones and Morrison was unable to outcount either one.
Sweden’s Team Isabella Wrana scored two points in an extra end to top South Korea’s Team Eun-Jung Kim 8-6.
WFG Masters: Scores / Standings | Draw Schedule | Broadcast Schedule
UP NEXT
The WFG Masters continues with Draw 4 at 7:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. local time at Merlis Belsher Place. Tickets are available at the box office and online at mbptickets.universitytickets.com/w.
Broadcast coverage begins Thursday at 1 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. local time on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ (Canada) and GSOClive.com (international).
NOTES
The WFG Masters is the third Grand Slam of Curling event of the season featuring 16 of the top men’s teams and 16 of the top women’s teams from around the world. … Teams play four round-robin games each with the preliminary round running through to Friday evening. … The top eight teams in both divisions advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals. If necessary, tiebreakers will be played Saturday morning to determine the final playoff spots. … The semifinals are also scheduled for Saturday with both finals on tap Sunday.
