Glenn Howard, Brad Jacobs advance to Canadian Open of Curling final

KELOWNA, B.C. – World champion Glenn Howard and Brad Jacobs will meet in the final of the Canadian Open of Curling.

Howard’s Coldwater, Ont., rink advanced Saturday with a 5-3 semifinal victory over Toronto’s Mark Kean.

Jacobs, from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., moved on after upsetting defending champion Mike McEwen of Winnipeg 8-5.

Howard had little trouble moving into Sunday’s final. He scored four in the sixth end to hammer Kelowna’s Jim Cotter 7-2 in the quarter-final, then took a 3-0 lead through four ends and held on to beat Kean.

Jacobs needed a little more luck. He was down 5-3 to Calgary’s Kevin Koe before scoring singles in the sixth, seventh and eighth ends for a 6-5 quarter-final win.

Then against McEwen, Jacobs led 5-1 after three ends and scored two more in the seventh after McEwen chipped away at the lead.

Howard finished the round robin undefeated through five matches in Pool A, just ahead of Jacobs who was 4-1.

The tournament is the second men’s Grand Slam event of the World Curling Tour season and has a purse of $100,000.