Teams announced for Tour Challenge Tier 1
The world’s best will kick off the 2017-18 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season in high gear at the Tour Challenge, Sept. 5-10 at the Co-operators Centre – Evraz Place in Regina.
The third annual Tour Challenge is the largest event in the series featuring 60 teams split into two tiers of exciting action.
Fifteen of the top men’s teams and 15 of the top women’s teams from around the globe are set to compete in the Tour Challenge’s Tier 1 division headlined with reigning world champions Team Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., and Ottawa’s Team Homan.
All roads this season lead to the 2018 Winter Olympics and a few teams who have already been selected to represent their countries in Pyeongchang, South Korea, will hit the ice at the Tour Challenge: Sweden’s Team Edin and Team Hasselborg and Great Britain’s Team Smith and Team Muirhead.
Teams were invited to the Tier 1 based on the World Curling Tour’s Order of Merit rankings. In the event a team declined, the next-ranked team on the OOM received an invite.
The winning teams of the Tier 1 stage collect $30,000 and are guaranteed spots in the season-ending Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling tournament, the Humpty’s Champions Cup, running April 24-29, 2018, returning to WinSport Arena in Calgary.
Tier 1 teams also earn points towards the Bonus Cup, awarded to the overall season champions following the conclusion of the Players’ Championship. The Bonus Cup winning teams claim $75,000 each in additional prize money. Team Edin and Team Sweeting of Edmonton captured the Bonus Cup this past season and are also the defending Tour Challenge Tier 1 champions.
The Tier 2 men’s and women’s divisions will also consist of 15 teams each featuring the next 10 teams ranked on the OOM plus five regional invites. Tier 2 teams will be announced at a future date.
Tier 2 winners have the opportunity to move up the ranks by receiving invites to the following Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling tournament, the Masters, running Oct. 24-29 in Lloydminster, Sask., with flights, accommodations and entry fees paid for.
Below are the 15 men’s teams and 15 women’s teams for the Tour Challenge Tier 1 group:
