Middaugh defeats Stoughton to win inaugural Canadian Open
WAINWRIGHT, Alta. — Wayne Middaugh, from Midland, Ont., stole a point in the 10th end to defeat Winnipeg’s Jeff Stoughton 8-7 and win the inaugural Canadian Open title.
After Middaugh scored a deuce in the eighth to tie it, Stoughton blanked the ninth to retain the hammer for the final frame but came up heavy on his last draw.
The foursome of Middaugh, third Graeme McCarrel, second Ian Tetley and lead Scott Bailey went undefeated through the tournament at 6-0 and earned $30,000.
Middaugh topped Glenn Howard, from Coldwater, Ont., 7-6 during the semifinals while Stoughton edged Edmonton’s Kevin Martin 9-8 in the extra end to advance.
The $100,000 Canadian Open, which featured a 24-team triple knockout preliminary format, was the first leg of the all-new Grand Slam of Curling series.
