THE CANADIAN PRESS
BRANTFORD, Ont. — Brad Jacobs is the team to beat so far at the Rogers Masters Grand Slam of Curling.
The skip from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., improved to 4-0 with a 6-1 win over Sweden’s Niklas Edin after Thursday’s men’s fifth draw.
Jacob was perfect on a busy day at the tournament. Earlier, he edged Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., 5-3, before holding off Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen 6-5 in an extra end.
Jacobs leads his pool at the tournament, which is the first stop on the men’s world curling Grand Slam.
PROGRAMMING ALERT: Watch round-robin action from the Grand Slam of Curling live Friday on Sportsnet East, Ontario, West & Pacific at 3:30 p.m. ET / 12:30 p.m. PT.
Also in the late draw, Edmonton’s Kevin Martin improved to 2-1 with a 6-5 victory over Thomas Ulsrud of Norway.
McEwen beat Gushue 6-3, Quebec’s Jean-Michel Menard cruised past John Epping of Toronto 7-3 and Denmark’s Rasmus Stjerne defeated Switzerland’s Sven Michel 9-6.
In women’s action, Winnipeg’s Kaitlyn Lawes continued to fill in well for Jennifer Jones. Lawes beat Switzerland’s Mirjam Ott 8-4 to improve to 3-0.
Lawes is heading Jones’s team after the world champion gave birth to a baby girl on Tuesday.
Ottawa’s Rachel Homan kept pace with Lawes. Homan hammered Scotland’s Eve Muirhead 8-2 to improve to 3-0.
Shannon Kleibrink of Calgary battered Edmonton’s Laura Crocker 8-2, while Crystal Webster of Calgary easily beat Edmonton’s Valerie Sweeting 7-1.
Sherry Middaugh of Coldwater, Ont., edged Cathy Overton-Clapham of Winnipeg 7-5, while Erika Brown of the United States downed Silvana Tirinzoni of Switzerland 7-4.
It’s the third of five world Grand Slam events on the women’s tour.