Ottawa’s Rachel Homan and Brad Gushue of St. John’s lead the field set to compete at the 2016 WFG Masters.
The Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling released the list of 15 men’s teams and 15 women’s teams for their first event of the season running Oct. 25-30 in Okotoks, Alta.
Team Homan and Team Gushue, last season’s Rogers Grand Slam Cup winners, hold the No. 1 rankings on the World Curling Tour’s Order of Merit (OOM). Team Gushue has maintained the top men’s spot despite missing skip Brad Gushue for two tour events to start 2016-17. The 2006 Olympic gold medallist has been sidelined for the start of the season with a hip/groin issue.
Also headlining the field are reigning world champions Binia Feltscher of Switzerland and Calgary’s Kevin Koe. Scotties Tournament of Hearts winner Chelsea Carey of Calgary and the 2014 Olympic gold medallists Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg and Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., will also be in action.
Homan is the defending Masters women’s champion and has won the title three times in four years. Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen looks to repeat as the men’s champion.
McEwen defeated Jim Cotter in last year’s final, however, the B.C. team has a new look this season. Cotter reunited with 2010 Olympic gold medallist John Morris, who now skips the team while throwing third stones.
Another high-profile makeover is Brendan Bottcher’s team with the addition of two-time Brier champion Pat Simmons at third.
Scotland’s Kyle Smith makes his elite-level GSOC debut after competing in the Tour Challenge Tier 2 division last season. Smith has been off to a strong start and won the Oakville OCT Fall Classic earlier this month.
The WFG Masters is one of the original four Grand Slam events and has been held annually since the inaugural 2001-02 season. Invites were based on the World Curling Tour’s OOM as of Sept. 12. Teams at the WFG Masters also earn bonus points towards the Rogers Grand Slam Cup, awarded to the overall season champions following the conclusion of the Players’ Championship in April and the winners also qualify for the season-ending Humpty’s Champions Cup event.
Watch the WFG Masters live on Sportsnet and Sportsnet Now.
2016 WFG MASTERS MEN’S TEAMS
| OOM Rank (as of Sept. 12) | Team | Hometown |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brad Gushue | St. John’s |
| 2 | Kevin Koe | Calgary |
| 3 | Mike McEwen | Winnipeg |
| 4 | Reid Carruthers | Winnipeg |
| 5 | John Epping | Toronto |
| 6 | Brad Jacobs | Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. |
| 7 | Niklas Edin | Karlstad, Sweden |
| 8 | Steve Laycock | Saskatoon |
| 9 | David Murdoch | Stirling, Scotland |
| 10 | John Morris | Vernon, B.C. |
| 11 | John Shuster | Duluth, USA |
| 12 | Brendan Bottcher | Edmonton |
| 13 | Glenn Howard | Penetanguishene, Ont. |
| 14 | Peter de Cruz | Geneva, Switzerland |
| 16 | Kyle Smith | Stirling, Scotland |
2016 WFG MASTERS WOMEN’S TEAMS
| OOM Rank (as of Sept. 12) | Team | Hometown |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rachel Homan | Ottawa |
| 2 | Jennifer Jones | Winnipeg |
| 3 | Silvana Tirinzoni | Zurich, Switzerland |
| 4 | Val Sweeting | Edmonton |
| 5 | Chelsea Carey | Calgary |
| 6 | Eve Muirhead | Perth, Scotland |
| 7 | Kelsey Rocque | Edmonton |
| 8 | Anna Sidorova | Moscow, Russia |
| 9 | Kerri Einarson | Winnipeg |
| 10 | Tracy Fleury | Sudbury, Ont. |
| 11 | Allison Flaxey | Caledon, Ont. |
| 12 | EunJung Kim | Uiseong, South Korea |
| 13 | Alina Paetz | Zurich, Switzerland |
| 14 | Binia Feltscher | Flims, Switzerland |
| 15 | Anna Hasselborg | Sundbyberg, Sweden |
