NISKU, Alta. — Scotland’s Team Bruce Mouat completed another successful sweep to capture an eighth Grand Slam of Curling men’s title.
Mouat wrapped up an undefeated 7-0 run through the Co-op Canadian Open with a 6-3 victory over Canada’s Team Brad Gushue during Sunday’s final at the Silent Ice Center.
The team of Mouat, third Grant Hardie, second Bobby Lammie and lead Hammy McMillan Jr., cashed in $44,000 from the prize purse.
It was Mouat’s second consecutive Grand Slam title as his team has yet to lose a game in the series this season. Mouat defeated Gushue 10-3 to win the HearingLife Tour Challenge last month in Charlottetown.
Gushue parted ways with second E.J. Harnden only a few days after that final and added former skip Brendan Bottcher to his club. Bottcher has fit in well with the St. John’s, N.L., crew — which also includes third Mark Nichols and lead Geoff Walker — as Team Gushue had won six straight heading into the final.
The game of centimetres lived up to its name before the game even started during the draw-to-the-button shootout to determine hammer. Gushue went first and was only two centimetres away. Pretty impressive, however, Mouat covered the pinhole to secure the last-rock advantage.
That proved to be key. Mouat capitalized on Team Gushue’s mistakes and just had to hit the paint with his last rock of the opening end to score three points.
After Mouat drew to the button once more to sit three counters in the second, Gushue tapped the shot rock back for just a single.
Mouat had to draw for one point in the third, and he made a straight runback to sit another trio in the fourth as Gushue was forced to take another lonely point again.
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The 15-time Grand Slam champion Gushue drew around a guard in the fifth end, however, Mouat could see enough of it to take it out and score a deuce to build a four-point gap.
Gushue blanked the sixth but couldn’t get anything going in the seventh either and threw his last rock through his legs to score one point on the board — but also several style points with the crowd — before shaking hands.
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Team Gushue collected $34,000 for going 4-0 through pool play and finishing runner-up.
Earlier, Canada’s Team Rachel Homan captured a record-extending 16th Grand Slam of Curling women’s title with a 7-5 win over Switzerland’s Team Silvana Tirinzoni in the women’s final.