Koe clips defending champ Epping in Players’ Championship opener
TORONTO — Calgary’s Kevin Koe topped defending champion John Epping of Toronto 5-3 Tuesday night in the opening round-robin draw of the Players’ Championship at Ryerson’s Mattamy Athletic Centre.
After Epping stole a point in the first, the reigning Masters champion Koe went to work scoring a deuce in the second followed by back-to-back single steals in the third and fourth to lead 4-1 at the break.
Epping, who upset the field to win the title last year as the last seed, was forced to a single in five. The teams alternated lone points in six and seven as Koe reclaimed the hammer coming home with a two-point lead and ran his opponent out of rocks.
Edmonton’s Kevin Martin stole one in the seventh and two in the eighth to defeat Norway’s Thomas Ulsrud 5-1, and Glenn Howard of Coldwater, Ont., edged Toronto’s Mark Kean 5-4 in an extra end.
David Nedohin of Sherwood Park, Alta., is filling in at third on Team Ulsrud this week. Nedohin, who won three Grand Slams with skip Randy Ferbey, is fitting in by donning their usual funny pants.
Switzerland’s Michele Jaeggi scored a deuce in the eighth to upset world champion Eve Muirhead of Scotland 5-4 and Masters champion Rachel Homan of Ottawa fended off Mirjam Ott of Switzerland 5-3.
The season-ending Players’ Championship features 15 of the top men’s teams and 15 of the top women’s teams from around the globe competing for a combined purse of $200,000 CAD. The Grand Slam bonus cup is also on the line.
Round-robin play runs through to Friday. The quarterfinals and semifinals are set for Saturday with both finals are scheduled for Sunday.
