Fresh after winning the worlds, Ottawa’s Rachel Homan now sets her sights on the WestJet Players’ Championship.
The Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling announced the full draw schedule Monday for the fourth and final major of the 2016-17 season running April 11-16 at Ryerson’s Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto (live TV coverage begins April 13 on Sportsnet).
Homan, who completed a historic 13-0 run Sunday in Beijing to win the world championship, kicks off the WestJet Players’ Championship taking on Bingyu Wang of China in the first draw.
Scotland’s Eve Muirhead, who earned bronze at the worlds, will also be on the ice for opening night and plays Edmonton’s Val Sweeting. Muirhead captured the Players’ Championship during the previous three occasions Ryerson’s Mattamy Athletic Centre has hosted the event over the past four years.
Meanwhile, reigning Players’ men’s champ Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., will also be in action for the opener and goes up against Brendan Bottcher of Edmonton. Gushue will first compete for Canada at the world men’s curling championship before beginning his title defence at the Players’.
Hometown hero John Epping takes on Scotland’s Kyle Smith and Saskatoon’s Steve Laycock meets Peter de Cruz of Switzerland to round out Draw 1.
The WestJet Players’ Championship features 12 of the top men’s teams and 12 of the top women’s teams from around the globe based on the World Curling Tour’s year-to-date standings. Winners will receive berths to the season-ending Humpty’s Champions Cup taking place April 25-30 in Calgary.
The Rogers Grand Slam Cup will also be awarded to the overall season champions following the conclusion of the WestJet Players’ Championship.
PLAYERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
| A | B | C | D | E | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 11 | ||||||
| 1 | 7:00 p.m. | Homan vs. Wang |
Smith vs. Epping |
Laycock vs. De Cruz |
Gushue vs. Bottcher |
Muirhead vs. Sweeting |
| April 12 | ||||||
| 2 | 8:30 a.m. | Jones vs. Englot |
Hasselborg vs. Fleury |
Flaxey vs. Sigfridsson |
Scheidegger vs. Tirinzoni |
|
| 3 | 12:00 p.m. | Morris vs. Koe |
Jacobs vs. De Cruz | Edin vs. Smith |
McEwen vs. Carruthers |
Laycock vs. Epping |
| 4 | 3:30 p.m. | Sigfridsson vs. Scheidegger |
Muirhead vs. Jones |
Tirinzoni vs. Wang |
Sweeting vs. Hasselborg |
Fleury vs. Englot |
| 5 | 7:00 p.m. | Edin vs. Jacobs |
Koe vs. McEwen |
Bottcher vs. Carruthers |
Gushue vs. Morris |
Homan vs. Flaxey |
| April 13 | ||||||
| 6 | 8:30 a.m. | Hasselborg vs. Muirhead |
Englot vs. Sweeting |
Fleury vs. Jones |
Epping vs. De Cruz |
|
| 7 | 12:00 p.m. | Koe vs. Bottcher |
Gushue vs. Carruthers |
Morris vs. McEwen |
Flaxey vs. Wang |
Tirinzoni vs. Sigfridsson |
| 8 | 3:30 p.m. | Laycock vs. Smith |
Edin vs. De Cruz |
Epping vs. Jacobs |
Fleury vs. Muirhead |
Hasselborg vs. Englot |
| 9 | 7:00 p.m. | Tirinzoni vs. Flaxey |
Morris vs. Bottcher |
Homan vs. Scheidegger |
Koe vs. Carruthers |
Gushue vs. McEwen |
| April 14 | ||||||
| 10 | 8:30 a.m. | Bottcher vs. McEwen |
Scheidegger vs. Wang |
Edin vs. Laycock |
Jacobs vs. Smith |
|
| 11 | 12:00 p.m. | Homan vs. Sigfridsson |
Sweeting vs. Fleury |
Englot vs. Muirhead |
Jones vs. Hasselborg |
Carruthers vs. Morris |
| 12 | 3:30 p.m. | De Cruz vs. Smith |
Jacobs vs. Laycock |
Koe vs. Gushue |
Epping vs. Edin |
Flaxey vs. Scheidegger |
| 13 | 7:00 p.m. | Tiebreaker (if nec.) |
Homan vs. Tirinzoni |
Jones vs. Sweeting |
Tiebreaker (if nec.) |
Wang vs. Sigfridsson |
| April 15 | ||||||
| 14 | 11:00 a.m. | Tiebreakers (if necessary) | ||||
| 15 | 3:00 p.m. | Men’s Quarterfinals | ||||
| 16 | 7:30 p.m. | Women’s Quarterfinals | ||||
| April 16 | ||||||
| 17 | 11:00 a.m. | Men’s & Women’s Semifinals | ||||
| 18 | 3:00 p.m. | Men’s Final | ||||
| 19 | 7:00 p.m. | Women’s Final |