Team Homan prevails in Saskatoon

For a week in early September, Ottawa’s Rachel Homan was not the No. 1 team in the world… according to the rankings, at least.

Rachel Homan’s Ottawa team picked up its first World Curling Tour victory of the season this past weekend. (Photo, Curling Canada/Andrew Klaver)

With strong finishes in early season events, both Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg and Switzerland’s Silvana Tirinzoni surpassed Team Homan on the World Curling Tour Order of Merit.

The thing was, though, Homan and her team hadn’t even started their 2019-20 season.

After its first event, however, Team Homan was back in the top spot with a semifinal finish at the AMJ Campbell Shorty Jenkins Classic in Cornwall, Ont. In their second event of the year, this past weekend’s Colonial Square Ladies Classic in Saskatoon, Homan, vice-skip Emma Miskew, second Joanne Courtney and lead Lisa Weagle took home the top prize and extended their world points lead over second-place Hasselborg.

Homan defeated Tracy Fleury (Winnipeg) in an 8-3 final. The three-time Scotties champion ran through the event without a loss, and took home 52.746 points along with $7,500. 

Fleury won 36.680 points and $6,000.

Points won also apply to the Canadian Team Ranking System, which will soon be a factor in deciding the final teams for the 2019 Home Hardware Canada Cup, presented by Pioneer, Nov. 27-Dec. 1 in Leduc, Alta.

Hasselborg, meanwhile, was playing in a Swedish qualifying event for the European Championships, which, due to a low strength of field, only earned her 8.100 points. No. 3 Kerri Einarson of Winnipeg, and No. 4 Tirinzoni weren’t in action this past weekend.

Meanwhile, in South Korea a new event got underway before the previous week’s action wrapped up! The WCT Uiseong International Curling Cup features 10 men’s and 10 women’s teams competing for a combined purse of $110,000 Cdn. 

The men’s field’s Canadian teams include Matt Dunstone (Regina), Glenn Howard (Penetangueshine, Ont.), Scott McDonald (Kingston, Ont.), and Mike McEwen (Winnipeg).

Only Winnipeg’s Theresa Cannon is representing Canadian women at the event.

So far McEwen is 3-0, while McDonald, Dunstone, and Howard all have two wins. Cannon, so far, is 1-2, while Tirinzoni’s Swiss squad leads the pack at 3-0.

Elsewhere:

The second Stu Sells Tankard will take place this coming weekend in Toronto’s High Park Curling Club. The 24-team men’s event features a purse of $38,000, with a top prize of $12,000. The 15-team women’s event will offer $4,500 to the champion.

The star-studded field includes John Epping (Toronto), Brad Gushue (St. John’s), Brad Jacobs (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.), and Kevin Koe (Calgary).

For scores and results for all World Curling Tour events, please check out curlingzone.com.