YORKTON, Sask. — Scotland’s Eve Muirhead defeated Ottawa’s Rachel Homan 5-3 to capture the first ever Canadian Open women’s championship Sunday.
Muirhead led by a point coming home and counted one more in the final end with a tricky come-around shot to ice the game and avoid giving up a steal.
“We knew we had to come out and play really well against Team Homan, they’re such a great solid team, and we did that,” Team Muirhead third Anna Sloan said. “We just piled the pressure on and it just worked. It was our day today.”
Homan, a two-time Masters winner, blanked the first end but Muirhead applied that aforementioned pressure to steal two in the second to swipe a 2-0 lead. Homan attempted to blank the third but her stone stayed in the house for one.
Homan sat two stones in the house during the fourth end and forced Muirhead to hit and stick for one but she reclaimed the two-point advantage in the process. Homan and Muirhead exchanged singles through five and six and Homan added another point in the seventh but gave up the hammer for the final frame.
This is Muirhead, Sloan and second Vicki Adams’ second career Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling title after claiming the 2013 Players’ Championship in Toronto with lead Claire Hamilton. The team also won the bronze medal at the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, in February but made a roster adjustment during the off-season with Sarah Reid coming on board to replace Hamilton.
The new team fell short of qualifying for the playoffs at the Masters to start the 2014-15 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season last month but worked hard to power through the field during stop No. 2 at the Canadian Open.
“It’s been a tough season for us, not just being fluid as well as we want to be,” Sloan said. “But it’s a new team also and we’re still young so it’s good to grind it out and get the win here.”
The third and final women’s Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling event is the Players’ Championship, running April 7-12 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto.