Kevin Martin (Edmonton, Alta.), Canada’s 2010 Olympic representative, defending champion Glenn Howard (Coldwater, Ont.), Thomas Ulsrud (Oslo, Norway), Norway’s 2010 Olympic representative, and Wayne Middaugh (Etobicoke, Ont.) became the first four teams to qualify for the quarterfinals at the BDO Classic Canadian Open this evening following the conclusion of the eighth draw at the season’s third Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series event, taking place at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Man.
The top three seeds in their respective pools to open the tournament, Martin, Howard and Ulsrud all sit at 4-0 heading into the evening’s final round robin draw at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Middaugh, defeated Chris Schille (Edmonton, Alta.) 6-2 this evening to conclude the preliminary round with a record of 4-1.
Martin qualified for the playoff round this afternoon after edging Bob Ursel (Kelowna, B.C.) 6-4. In a tightly contested affair, Martin opened the game with a point, followed by a steal of another point, to establish a lead that he would not relinquish throughout the match.
“That was a good game,” said Martin. “It was first time we saw a real fire in the guys again. We were getting a little grumpy. It was good. So now we’re into the quarters and back playing a little better and a little more confident.”
Howard, the defending Capital One Cup champion, qualified for the quarterfinals after squeezing past John Shuster (Duluth, Minnesota), the United States’ 2010 Olympic representative, 4-3.
“We’re adapting to the ice nicely,” said Howard. “We’re picking up the little idiosyncrasies of every sheet and I think we’re playing a little bit better. Just what the doctor ordered. So it was a big win. We wanted to get ourselves into the quarterfinals before the final round robin game tonight.”
Ulsrud improved to 4-0 in round robin play for the first time in seven Capital One Grand Slam of Curling events after rallying from a 4-0 first end deficit to defeat Kerry Burtnyk (Winnipeg, Man.) 8-7.
“We were not out there in the first end,” said Ulsrud. “We were wrecking on every guard and Kerry played really good in the first end. I’m really proud of the boys to come back after a start like that.”
After falling behind in the first end, Ulsrud responded with three points in the second frame to close the gap to one point.
Tied at 7-7, the Norwegian national team completed the comeback with a steal of one point in the final end after Burtnyk wrecked on guard while attempting to tap out Ulsrud’s shot rock.
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.
CBC Television will air live coverage of the tournament’s quarterfinals on Saturday, January 23 at 3:00 p.m. EST. The event’s semi-finals are set for later that evening at 7:00 p.m. EST and will air on CBC’s digital channel, bold. CBC Sports will also provide live broadband coverage of all playoff draws, exclusively at www.CBCSports.ca.
The finals of the BDO Classic Canadian Open will take place on Sunday, January 24 at 1:00 p.m. EST and will be shown live on CBC Television. 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 and Ulsrud Pull Away at BDO Classic Canadian Open
- Howard and Martin Secure Top Seeds Heading into BDO Classic Canadian Open Quarterfinals
- Kevin Martin Back on Track to Open BDO Classic Canadian Open
- Martin and Howard to Meet in Second Straight BDO Classic Canadian Open Final
- Kevin Martin Captures Fifth Career BDO Classic Canadian Open Title