Pinty's Cup-date: Jacobs, Hasselborg sliding away

Pinty’s Cup-date: Jacobs, Hasselborg sliding away

Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., and Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg are pulling away in the Pinty’s Cup standings after winning their third consecutive Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling titles Sunday at the Meridian Canadian Open.

Teams earn points based on their results in Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling events. The top four in both divisions following the conclusion of the Princess Auto Players’ Championship receiving bonus payouts. The winners are crowned Pinty’s Cup champions and earn $75,000.

Both Jacobs and Hasselborg grabbed 12 Pinty’s Cup points to extend their leads. Jacobs, who beat Toronto’s John Epping 6-5 in the final, sits atop of the men’s standings with 41 points while Hasselborg, who edged Min-Ji Kim of South Korea 7-5 in an extra end, is in first place in the women’s division with 43 points.

Jacobs captured the Pinty’s Cup during the 2014-15 season when he also won his first GSOC title at the Players’ Championship. Hasselborg has yet to claim the Pinty’s Cup.

Roughly double points are available at the Princess Auto Players’ Championship, ensuring both races will remain competitive.

Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., is only nine back of Jacobs with 32 points and still very much in it to win it. Scotland’s Bruce Mouat sits in third place with 21 points. Epping, Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen and Edmonton’s Brendan Bottcher are locked in a three-way tie for fourth place with 18 points. Calgary’s Kevin Koe (16 points) and Sweden’s Niklas Edin (15 points) are on the doorstep and a good performance in the Princess Auto Players’ Championship could push them into a top-four finish.

Hasselborg has a comfier cushion in the women’s division with Japan’s Satsuki Fujisawa (26 points) in second place and 17 back of the lead. Masters champion Tracy Fleury of East St. Paul, Man., is in third place with 25 points and Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones is fourth at 24 points. Kerri Einarson of Gimli, Man., who won the Players’ Championship last year, is on the outside looking in with 21 points in fifth place. Reigning world champion Silvana Tirinzoni of Switzerland is also in the race in sixth place and 19 points.

The Princess Auto Players’ Championship takes place April 7-12 at Ryerson’s Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto. Ticket information is available at thegrandslamofcurling.com/tickets.