News Canadian Open

NORTH BATTLEFORD, Sask. — New year, same Brad Jacobs in the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling.

Jacobs, who capped 2016 winning the Boost National in his hometown of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., kicked off his run in the Meridian Canadian Open with a 5-4 victory over Scotland’s Kyle Smith during Draw 3 action Wednesday afternoon. 

The two-time Grand Slam champion Jacobs opened with the hammer and scored a deuce in the second. Smith settled for a single in three and stole two points in the sixth to go up 3-2 when Jacobs’s rock went through the port missing both counters. Jacobs rebounded with an open hit for three in the seventh to pull back into the lead and Smith was only able to count one with the hammer coming home.

Team Jacobs takes on Team Gushue in the second stage of the A event triple knockout preliminary round while Smith fell to B event.

Reigning world champion Kevin Koe of Calgary stole one in the extra end to slip past Edmonton’s Charley Thomas 8-7 and Sweden’s Niklas Edin, who has won two Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling titles this season, picked up a 4-3 victory over American Heath McCormick to stay in the A event.

In women’s division action, Edmonton’s Kelsey Rocque edged Casey Scheidegger of Lethbridge, Alta., 5-4 and Michelle Englot and her Winnipeg team also squeaked out a 5-4 win over Calgary’s Chelsea Carey.

NOTES: The Meridian Canadian Open is the fourth event and third major of the 2016-17 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season. … TV coverage begins Thursday at 11:30 a.m. CT on Sportsnet. … The event features a triple knockout preliminary round where teams must win three games before they lose three in order to qualify for the playoffs. … Winners of the Meridian Canadian Open qualify for the season-ending Humpty’s Champions Cup taking place at the end of April in Calgary. … Meridian Canadian Open action continues Wednesday at 3 p.m. CT and runs through to Sunday at the Civic Centre in North Battleford.