Brad Jacobs advances to playoffs at WFG Masters
OKOTOKS, Alta. — Reigning Olympic gold medallist Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., is through to WFG Masters playoffs after wrapping up round-robin play with a 3-1 record.
Jacobs took down Edmonton’s Brendan Bottcher 7-5 in a shooting gallery match during Draw 11 action Friday afternoon.
Bottcher, who missed the playoffs at 1-3, made a beauty double takeout to score three points in the fifth end and pull ahead 4-3.
The lead was brief, however, as Jacobs countered right back in the following end with an amazing shot for three of his own and hold a two-point advantage.
Bottcher looked to blank the seventh end to retain the hammer coming home, but his hit-and-roll attempt landed on the nose for his shooter to stick around for a single. Jacobs tapped back a counter for another single in eight to secure the victory.
John Morris and his Vernon, B.C., team went out on a high note picking up a 7-5 victory over Scotland’s Kyle Smith. Both teams finished out of the playoffs with identical 1-3 records.
Toronto’s John Epping advanced with a 3-1 record trumping American John Shuster 8-2 in just five ends. Shuster is heading home at 0-4.
Allison Flaxey of Caledon, Ont., took down reigning Canadian women’s champion Chelsea Carey of Calgary 8-3. Both teams are sticking around for now as they hold 2-2 records and await the conclusion of the round-robin portion to determine playoffs and/or tiebreakers.
Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg went perfect through pool play at 4-0 picking up an 8-5 victory over Silvana Tirinzoni of Switzerland. Hasselborg scored four in the sixth end, stole one in the seventh and ran Tirinzoni (2-1) out of rocks in the eighth.
NOTES: The WFG Masters is the first of seven events on the 2016-17 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling schedule. … The event is also the first of four majors in the series alongside the Boost National, Meridian Canadian Open and WestJet Players’ Championship. … The WFG Masters runs through to Sunday at Pason Centennial Arena with action continuing Friday at 4 p.m. MT on Sportsnet ONE and Sportsnet NOW.
