News Tour Challenge

CRANBROOK, B.C. — Provincial favourite Team John Morris clinched a playoff spot early in the Tour Challenge climbing to a 3-0 record in pool play.

Morris, of Vernon, B.C., powered past Norway’s Thomas Ulsrud 9-2 in six ends during Draw 8 Thursday.

It’s a sharp turnaround for Team Morris after they started 0-3 two weeks ago at the WFG Masters for early elimination and are now the first men’s team through to the playoffs with the home crowd support on their side. 

“Obviously playing in B.C. and our team being from Vernon, it’s just been great,” Morris said. “There’s been some nice crowd support and we’re starting to feel it. The last Slam we got down early at 0-3 so to turn it around and go 3-0 in this one especially with a tough pool — all three teams we’ve played are all definitely not slouches, they’re all great teams — it feels good. We want to finish off with one more round-robin win so we can be in a good position going into the playoffs.” 

The team has been enjoying its stay in Cranbrook among the Rocky Mountains, Morris in particular who said he loves it.

“Usually when you’re playing one game a day you’re sort of killing time and are a little bit bored but around here we were out fly-fishing and we’ve seen a bunch of deer and it’s just been phenomenal,” he said. “This is paradise out here. I love playing in a Slam or any type of bonspiel in a place like this so we’ve been taking full advantage of it and I’m sure we’ll do the same tomorrow morning.”

The 2010 Olympic gold medallist Morris took a commanding six-point lead early with a single in the first followed by a steal of four in the second and one in the third. Ulsrud, a silver medallist at the Vancouver Winter Games, settled for a point in four and stole one in five, but Morris slammed the door on the comeback attempt with a three-count in the sixth end that also brought the “three count” to the game as they shook hands.

Elsewhere, Masters champion Niklas Edin of Sweden is still in the hunt for a playoff spot picking up a 6-5 extra-end win over American John Shuster. Both teams hold 1-2 records.

In women’s play, Ottawa’s Rachel Homan is in the clear at 3-0 after trouncing Tracy Fleury of Sudbury 10-3 in an all-Ontario matchup. Homan was already ahead by a points when she rocketed past Fleury with a four-ender in the sixth followed by a steal of two in the seventh for handshakes.

“It’s great … that means we qualify so it’s always a good feeling,” Homan said. “We get another game to figure out the ice and the rocks and how we’re going to perform for the playoffs.”

“New rocks are always a challenge,” she added. “Trying to figure it out first and you don’t want to be the last to figure it out for sure. It’s been a great challenge and I think we figured them out.”

Masters women’s champion Allison Flaxey (3-0) also clinched a playoff spot with a game in hand following a 9-7 extra-end comeback over Margaretha Sigfridsson of Sweden. Flaxey, from Caledon, Ont., was up 5-1 until Sigfridsson (0-2) charged into the lead with a deuce in the fourth followed by back-to-back steals of two in the fifth and sixth. Flaxey tied it with a single in seven then stole her way to victory swiping one in eight and two in the extra.

Anna Hasselborg of Sweden crushed Sherry Middaugh of Coldwater, Ont., 7-1. Hasselborg improved to a 2-1 record and dropped to 1-2.

NOTES: The Tour Challenge is the second of seven events on the 2016-17 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling schedule. … Tour Challenge action continues Thursday at 8 p.m. MT with TV coverage resuming on Sportsnet and online/mobile on Sportsnet NOW at 8 p.m. MT. … The Tour Challenge runs through to Sunday at Western Financial Place (all Tier 1 games and Tier 2 finals) and Memorial Arena (Tier 2 games from round-robin play to semifinals).