News Masters

OKOTOKS, Alta. — Scotland’s David Murdoch began his WFG Masters tournament scoring big to thump compatriot Kyle Smith 9-2 during Draw 2 Wednesday morning. 

Murdoch wanted to come out strong at the first Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling event of the season after falling short in the European playdowns last weekend against Tom Brewster in the finals. 

He said it was funny how the draw works out that his first round-robin match was an all-Scottish affair.

“We just wanted to start well,” Murdoch said. “We had a goal of coming back and fighting back from last weekend with a disappointment not being in the Europeans and this is important to us. This is what we want to keep achieving. We came out with fire today and played some good shots. Everyone’s going to feel their way in the first game and we made enough shots to force a little bit of pressure.” 

Murdoch capitalized on a couple of Smith misses to hit for three points in the first and draw to score four in the third for an early 7-1 lead. Smith was held to another single in four and Murdoch matched in five to maintain the six-point lead. The teams shook hands after the sixth end when Smith looked to make a runback to score two but the raised stone missed the target and put another point on the board for Murdoch. 

Peter de Cruz of Switzerland took down American John Shuster 9-5. De Cruz pounced onto the scoreboard with a five-ender in the first. The teams alternated singles in two and three as De Cruz stayed ahead by five points. Shuster clawed back with a three-ender in the fourth and stole one in five to close within one, but De Cruz closed it out counting two in six and stealing one in seven.

Meanwhile, EunJung Kim of South Korea held on against Scotland’s Eve Muirhead 6-5. Kim rode the steal train into the lead swiping one in the third, two in the fourth and another point in five to make it 5-2. Muirhead scored a deuce in the sixth and forced Kim to one in seven to hold the hammer coming home but wasn’t able to complete the comeback. 

Elsewhere, Anna Hasselborg of Sweden stole a point in the extra end to defeat Winnipeg’s Kerri Einarson 6-5. Hasselborg had a draw to count two for the win in the eighth but came up light and only got the tying single. However, she swiped the victory when Einarson’s last in the extra end went straight through the house missing Hasselborg’s counter. 

NOTES: The WFG Masters is the first event and first major of the 2016-17 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season. … Television coverage begins Thursday on Sportsnet. … The WFG Masters runs through to Sunday at Pason Centennial Arena with action continuing Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. MT.