News Tour Challenge

REGINA — Reigning world champion Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., captured the Tour Challenge Tier 1 title with a 9-1 win over Norway’s Steffen Walstad in Sunday’s final.

It’s the eighth Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling title for Gushue, who became the first to win six different events in the series. Seven of Gushue’s titles have come within the past three years with his current crew of third Mark Nichols, second Brett Gallant and lead Geoff Walker.

Gushue opened with the hammer and had one point in his pocket sitting on the button sandwiched between two Walstad counters. Not satisfied with settling for a single, Gushue went for the angle double bump to roll into the button for a deuce.

Walstad struggled in the second facing four on his last, but overcooked the draw shot and gave up a steal of three to fall into a 5-0 hole. A tap for a single in three put Walstad on the board, but Gushue continued to cruise drawing for two in the fifth.

A thin double attempt for Walstad in six sailed through the house and the teams shook hands.

Walstad reached the final on a sensational run in his series debut winning six straight games. The team includes third Markus Hoiberg, second Magnus Nedregotten and lead Magnus Vagberg.

Meanwhile, Jason Gunnlaugson edged William Lyburn 8-7 in an all-Winnipeg battle for the Tier 2 title. The team of Gunnlaugson, third Alex Forrest, second Ian McMillan and lead Connor Njegovan join the elite at the following Pinty’s GSOC event, the Masters, running Oct. 24-29 in Lloydminster, Sask.

A “Gunner special” runback triple on his first skip stone set the table for an open tap for two in the first. Lyburn attempted an angle raise in the second but hit it the wrong way to concede a point.

Lyburn rebounded taking two points in the third, forced Gunnlaugson to one in four and hit to score four in the fifth to jump ahead. Gunnlaugson bounced right back with a three count in the sixth to go back ahead 7-6. Lyburn tied it in seven and Gunnlaugson scored the winning point in eight.

Lyburn, one of the “Original 18” skips in the series, plays with third Richard Daneault, second Jared Kolomaya and alternate Jim Coleman filling in this week at lead for Braden Zawada.

Later Sunday, the Tier 1 women’s final features reigning champ Val Sweeting of Edmonton against Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg with Calgary’s Chelsea Carey and Winnipeg’s Kerri Einarson in the Tier 2 final.

The Tour Challenge is the season-opening event of the 2017-18 Pinty’s GSOC season.