News Masters

NORTH BAY, Ont. — Glenn Howard might not be playing in the Masters this week but his team is through to the playoffs at Memorial Gardens.

With the six-time Masters champion away on a trip to Scotland, his son Scott has moved up from third to skip and taken charge of the Penetanguishene, Ont., club. Adam Spencer is subbing at vice.

Team Howard qualified for the quarterfinals with a 3-1 record following a 5-1 victory Friday morning over Team Peter de Cruz of Switzerland.

Howard scored a deuce in the third, added a single in the sixth and a steal of two in the seventh while limiting de Cruz to his lone point in the fifth.

The 2018 Olympic bronze medallist de Cruz now holds a 2-1 round-robin record with one more group game remaining on the day.

Toronto’s Team John Epping stole singles in seven and eight to edge Team Yannick Schwaller of Switzerland 5-3. The defending champion Epping improved to a 2-1 record while Schwaller has been eliminated at 0-3.

Team John Shuster of the U.S. doubled up on Scotland’s Team Ross Paterson 8-4 to stay in the mix. The reigning Olympic gold medallist Shuster earned his first win to go to 1-2 while Paterson (2-2) now awaits the results of the remaining round-robin draws to find out his fate.

In the lone women’s match of the draw, Edmonton’s Team Kelsey Rocque ended their run on a high note stealing singles in seven and eight to win 5-3 over Team Robyn Silvernagle of North Battleford, Sask. Both teams were eliminated from playoff contention with 1-3 records.

The Masters features 15 of the top men’s teams and 15 of the top women’s teams from around the world. Both divisions are split into three pools of five for round-robin play with the top eight overall qualifying for the weekend playoffs. The quarterfinals and semifinals are scheduled for Saturday with the finals set for Sunday.

The action continues at Noon ET with broadcast coverage on Sportsnet and streaming online at Sportsnet NOW (Canada) and Yare (international).

NOTES: The Masters is the first of six Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling events on the season and one of four majors in the series. … The total prize purse is $300,000 and is split evenly between the men’s and women’s divisions. Winners receive $35,000 plus berths towards the season-ending Humpty’s Champions Cup taking place April 29 to May 3, 2020, in Olds, Alta. … Also up for grabs at the Masters are Pinty’s Cup bonus points. The leaders following the conclusion of the Players’ Championship in April will capture the Pinty’s Cup with additional prize money awarded.