(by Jonathan Brazeau)
TORONTO — Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., has won the Players’ Championship to complete a career Grand Slam.
Brad Gushue at the 2016 Players’ Championship in Toronto. (Photo: Anil Mungal)
Gushue defeated defending champ Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., 5-4 in Sunday’s final.
Team Gushue — featuring third Mark Nichols, second Brett Gallant, and lead Geoff Walker — earned a total of $101,500 during the week as they also captured the Rogers Grand Slam Cup as the overall season champions Saturday to cash in the $75,000 bonus.
Gushue landed on the lid with his last shot of the first end to settle for a single and a 1-0 lead. The five-time Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling event winner froze perfectly on the button and under cover with his last in the second and Jacobs conceded the steal.
Jacobs bounced back putting the pressure on in the third to get a deuce. The 2014 Olympic gold medallist forced Gushue to one in the fourth, but was also held to a single in five as he faced four counters in the house.
Gushue took two in the sixth for the lead. Jacobs had a chance to knot it back up but came up light on his draw and missed the rings. Gushue kept the house clean in eight to run Jacobs out of rocks.
Jacobs defeated Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen in last year’s final to earn his first career Grand Slam title.
Earlier Sunday, Eve Muirhead of Scotland topped Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones 9-6 to win her third Players’ Championship women’s title in four years.