Kevin Koe tied for tops in Pool A at Players’ Championship with 2-0 record

TORONTO – World champion Kevin Koe is one of four curlers to start off the Grand Slam of Curling Players’ Championship with a perfect 2-0 record.

His Calgary rink beat Charley Thomas 6-4 in Draw 3 before downing Glenn Howard by an identical score in Draw 5 later Wednesday night.

Koe, who won the men’s world curling title last week in Basel, Switzerland, scored three in the seventh end to take a three point lead. Howard, from Penetanguishene, Ont., came back to score one in the eighth but it wasn’t enough.

Joining Koe atop the Pool A standings is Brad Jacobs.

Jacobs, of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., picked up his second win of the tournament when he beat Winnipeg’s Reid Carruthers 6-2 in Draw 5.

The 2014 Winter Olympics gold medallist had a deuce in the fourth end and extended his lead over Carruthers with three in the sixth before the two sides shook hands. Jacobs beat Howard 6-4 earlier in the day.

Brad Gushue and Steve Laycock are tied for first in Pool B with 2-0 records.

Laycock routed Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen 7-1 Wednesday night. The Saskatoon native scored deuces in the third and sixth ends while adding singles in the fourth and fifth ends to blow the game open.

In other Draw 5 action, Sweden’s Niklas Edin got into the win column by toppling Calgary’s Charley Thomas 6-4.

Edmonton’s Kelsey Rocque beat Scotland’s Eve Muirhead 8-5 in the lone women’s match in Draw 5. Rocque scored five in the sixth end to put the game out of reach.

Both Rocque and Muirhead have 1-1 records in Pool B.

News from © The Canadian Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community? Create a free account to comment on stories, ask questions, and join meaningful discussions on our new site.

Leave a Reply

The Canadian Press

The Canadian Press is Canada's trusted news source and leader in providing real-time, bilingual multimedia stories across print, broadcast and digital platforms.