News Tour Challenge

PARADISE, N.L. — Edmonton’s Kelsey Rocque climbed to a 2-0 record in her Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling debut at the Tour Challenge with a 9-2 rout over Julie Hastings of Thornhill, Ont., during Draw 4 Wednesday afternoon at the Paradise Double Ice Complex. 

The two-time world junior champion Rocque scored three in the second, stole three in the third and swiped a pair of points in four. Hastings, who stole one in the first, was held to a single five and Rocque added another point in six. Hastings, the reigning Ontario women’s champion, dropped to a 0-2 record.

Elsewhere, EunJung Kim of South Korea stunned Scotland’s Eve Muirhead 8-6 in an extra end. Kim is also making her series debut in the event.

In men’s action, Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., edged Edmonton’s Brendan Bottcher 4-3. Jacobs faced two Bottcher counters with his final shot coming home and drew to the button for the winning point. Jacobs (1-0) finished last season winning the Players’ Championship and Rogers Grand Slam Cup. Bottcher is now all square with a 1-1 record.

Winnipeg’s Reid Carruthers took two in the fifth end and stole a pair in six during a 5-3 victory over Charlottetown’s Adam Casey. Carruthers climbed to a 2-0 record and Casey opens at 0-1.

NOTES: The Tour Challenge is the first of two new tournaments on the expanded seven-event 2015-16 Pinty’s GSOC season and features 30 men’s and 30 women’s teams split into two tiers. … Winners of the Tier 1 divisions also receive berths to the second new Pinty’s GSOC event, the season-ending Champions Cup. … Tier 2 champions earn byes to the next Grand Slam, the Masters, running Oct. 27 to Nov. 1 in Truro, N.S. … Television coverage of the Tour Challenge starts Thursday at 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT on Sportsnet.