Kevin Martin (Edmonton, Alta.), Canada’s 2010 Olympic representative, defending champion Glenn Howard (Coldwater, Ont.) and Thomas Ulsrud (Oslo, Norway), Norway’s 2010 Olympic representative, all sit tied atop of the leaderboard with perfect 3-0 records following the first five draws of the BDO Classic Canadian Open, the men’s third 2009-10 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series event, taking place at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Man.
Pat Simmons (Davidson, Sask.) is also undefeated at the event with a record of 2-0.
Martin continued his strong play this week, defeating previously unbeaten Jean-Michel Ménard (Quebec City, Que.) 10-4 this evening for his third consecutive victory.
After giving up a steal of one point in the first end, Martin jumped ahead in the following frame, executing an open draw for three points.
Tied at 3-3 in the fourth end, Martin was given a golden opportunity to reclaim the lead after Ménard’s double takeout attempt sailed through the house. The miscue gave Martin an easy open draw for five points and an insurmountable 8-3 advantage.
“We’re starting to get a little bit back to normal again,” said Martin. “It just takes some time. That’s the bottom line. We’re certainly not on our A-game by any means, but we’re playing pretty good. So I think we’re pretty happy with where we are right now.”
With the loss, Ménard dropped to 2-1.
Earlier in the day, Martin scored two points in the final end to defeat Wayne Middaugh (Etobicoke, Ont.) 7-5.
Howard remained undefeated at the BDO Classic Canadian Open after posting wins against two Winnipeg-based teams. After powering past Mike McEwen (Winnipeg, Man.) 9-3 the afternoon, Howard continued his hot play by sliding past Jeff Stoughton (Winnipeg, Man.) 8-2 in the evening’s final draw.
Leading Stoughton 4-2 through four ends, Howard put the game away in the fifth frame with an open hit for three points.
“We had a couple surprising, I guess you could call them blowouts, today against McEwen and Stoughton,” said Howard. “We haven’t been stellar this week, but I don’t think anyone has been really great. We’re on the right track. We’re getting better all the time and three wins is kind of nice.”
Ulsrud moved to 3-0 today after squeezing by Randy Ferbey (Edmonton, Alta.) 6-4 to go along with an 8-4 decision over Ted Appelman (Edmonton, Alta.) and a 6-3 win over Jason Gunnlaugson (Beausejour, Man.).
“The field out here is stronger than the Olympic field,” said Ulsrud, following his victory over Appelman. “So if you win here, you’re definitely a good player. So far we’re loving the ice. Big swing and good speed. It’s constant. It’s easy to play good shots.”
Simmons picked up a pair of wins today following identical 6-3 victories over John Shuster, the United States’ 2010 Olympic representative, and McEwen.
The BDO Classic Canadian Open features a $100,000 (CDN) purse. The tournament’s champion will earn $22,500 (CDN) plus an additional $500 for each round robin victory.
Throughout the BDO Classic Canadian Open, members of the media can access live scoring, schedule and statistical information of each draw by visiting the official Capital One Grand Slam of Curling website at www.grandslamofcurling.com.
Featuring 18 of the world’s teams, including three 2010 Olympic qualifiers, Friday’s draw times for the BDO Classic Canadian Open are set for 9:00 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 4:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. CT respectively.
Following the conclusion of round robin play, the top eight teams, regardless of their pool grouping, qualify for the tournament’s quarterfinals on Saturday, January 23 at 2:00 p.m. CT. The tournament’s semi-finals are set for later that same evening at 6:00 p.m. CT while the tournament’s final will be contested on Sunday, January 24 at 12:00 p.m. CT.
As the official television broadcaster of the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling, CBC Television will air live coverage of the quarterfinals and final of the BDO Classic Canadian Open. The tournament’s semi-finals will air on CBC bold. Coverage of the tournament’s playoffs and round robin draws are available at CBCSports.ca.
As part of the festivities surrounding the tournament, the BDO Classic Canadian Open will once again host the finals of the Capital One Million Dollar Button, a national contest where one lucky Canadian will win the chance to throw a rock to the button for $1 million (CDN), live on CBC Television during Sunday’s championship game.
Held annually since 2001-02, the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling features the world’s best players in one series.
Related posts:
- Martin, Howard, Ulsrud and Middaugh Through to the Quarterfinals at the BDO Classic Canadian Open
- Martin and Howard to Meet in Second Straight BDO Classic Canadian Open Final
- Howard and Martin Secure Top Seeds Heading into BDO Classic Canadian Open Quarterfinals
- Kevin Martin Back on Track to Open BDO Classic Canadian Open
- Kevin Martin Captures Fifth Career BDO Classic Canadian Open Title