Scheidegger stays in the mix at Tour Challenge
THUNDER BAY, Ont. — Casey Scheidegger is still in it to win it at the Tour Challenge.
Scheidegger scored three in the eighth end to lift her Lethbridge-based club to a 6-4 win over Edmonton’s Team Laura Walker during a Battle of Alberta during round-robin play Friday morning.
Team Scheidegger earned their first victory to improve to a 1-2 record and face hometown heroes Team Krista McCarville (0-3) in the late afternoon draw needing one more win to stay alive.
Walker wrapped up pool play at 2-2 and is now idle awaiting either a tiebreaker or a direct quarterfinal spot pending the results of the remaining draws.
Round-robin play concludes in the evening with the top eight teams overall in each division qualifying for Saturday’s quarterfinals. The semifinals are set for Saturday evening with all finals scheduled for Sunday.
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Team Glenn Howard of Penetanguishene, Ont., is also playing the waiting game in the men’s division at 2-2. Howard had a quick morning finishing his pool play with an 8-2 rout in only five ends over Calgary’s Team Kevin Koe.
Howard got off to a fast break with a three-ender in the first. Koe took two in the second, but Howard rolled away with a score of four in the fourth and a steal of one in the fifth.
The 2015 Tour Challenge men’s champion Koe (1-2) takes on undefeated Team Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., in the final round-robin draw.
Team Rich Ruohonen (3-1) threw their names in the hat for playoffs finishing with a 10-5 victory over Scotland’s Team Ross Paterson (1-2).
Jacobs, Team Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., and Team John Shuster from the United States all secured playoff spots Thursday after moving up to 3-0 records. Ottawa’s Team Rachel Homan and Team Tracy Fleury of East St. Paul, Man., (both 3-0) plus Team Kerri Einarson of Gimli, Man., (3-1) clinched berths on the women’s side.
The Tour Challenge is the third event of the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season and features the largest field in the series with 60 teams split into two tiers of action. Tier 1 includes 15 of the top men’s teams and 15 of the top women’s teams from around the world. Both Tier 2 divisions are composed of the next 10 teams ranked on the World Curling Tour’s Order of Merit plus five teams from within the event’s region.
NOTES: Winners of the Tour Challenge Tier 1 earn $20,000 of the $200,000 total purse plus berths to the season-ending Humpty’s Champions Cup event. … Points are also up for grabs in the Tier 1 division towards the Pinty’s Cup, which is awarded to season champions following the conclusion of the Players’ Championship in April. … Tier 2 winners earn the opportunity to move up the ranks receiving invitations to the 2019 Meridian Canadian Open in North Battleford, Sask.
UP NEXT: The Tour Challenge continues at 11:30 a.m. ET with broadcast coverage on Sportsnet and online at Sportsnet NOW (Canada) and Yare (international).
