Canada’s 2010 Olympic hopeful captures his eighth career Capital One Grand Slam of Curling event title; Great Britain’s Eve Muirhead wins women’s Three Nations Cup
MISSISSAUGA, ONT., October 25, 2009 – Glenn Howard (Coldwater, Ont.) captured his eighth career Capital One Grand Slam of Curling event title this afternoon after defeating Kevin Koe (Edmonton, Alta.) 6-4 in the finals of the Grey Power World Cup of Curling at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga, Ont. A tournament featuring five of Canada’s top 2010 Olympic hopefuls and nine international 2010 Olympic qualifiers, the Grey Power World Cup of Curling concluded with a five-day total attendance of 41,701.
Team Howard’s victory over Koe marked the fourth straight year that the squad has captured this event. Previously known as the Masters of Curling, Howard defeated Koe in the finals of this event for third consecutive season. Overall, Howard has won five of the past seven Capital One Grand Slam of Curling events.
Howard’s eighth career Capital One Grand Slam of Curling title moves him into a tie with Wayne Middaugh (Etobicoke, Ont.) for second place on the all-time list. Kevin Martin (Edmonton, Alta.) holds the record for most Capital One Grand Slam of Curling event titles with 13. With the loss, Koe fell to 0-6 in career Capital One Grand Slam of Curling event finals.
As tournament champions with a perfect 9-0 record, Howard’s team won $24,000 (CDN) and earned 40.000 Canadian Team Ranking System (CTRS) points. By finishing second with a 6-3 mark, Koe’s squad took home $14,000 (CDN) along with 27.000 CTRS points.
The final of the women’s Three Nations Cup was also contested today as Great Britain’s Eve Muirhead (Perth, Scotland) defeated Stefanie Lawton (Saskatoon, Sask.) 9-3 to capture the inaugural trophy.
The Scotland-based team put the game away in the seventh, scoring five points. Muirhead concluded the Three Nations Cup with a 3-1 record, earning $2,000 (CDN) while Lawton finished with a record of 2-2, earning $1,500 (CDN).
In the tournament’s consolation final, Shannon Kleibrink (Calgary, Alta.) earned her first victory, defeating reigning World Championship gold medallist Bingyu Wang (Harbin, China) 6-3. Kleibrink finished the tournament with a 1-3 mark while Wang’s loss evened her record at 2-2.
The Grey Power World Cup of Curling was also the site of the first on-site playoff for the annual Capital One Million Dollar Button contest. Clay Graves, 64, from Leaside Curling club in Toronto, Ont. emerged from a pool of six randomly selected contestants today when his rock landed 5’3" inches from the button.
As the contestant with the closest attempt to the button, Graves advances to the semi-finals of the Capital One Million Dollar Button contest in Winnipeg, Man. where he’ll compete against five other qualifiers for the chance to advance to the finals for an opportunity to attempt to cover the button for $1 million (CDN), live on CBC Television.
The finals of the Capital One Million Dollar Button will take place during the championship game of the BDO Classic Canadian Open, the third leg of the men’s 2009-10 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series, on Sunday, January 24, 2010 at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg.
Held annually since 2001-02, the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling features the world’s best players in one series.
