Canadian skip Rachel Homan achieved a significant milestone on Sunday by leading her Ottawa-based team to an 8-2 victory over Switzerland’s Silvana Tirinzoni in the CO-OP Tour Challenge final in Nisku, Alta. This win marked Homan’s 19th Grand Slam title, surpassing Kevin Martin from Alberta as the skip with the most titles in both divisions. Homan, who hails from nearby Beaumont, Alta., clinched the victory in front of a supportive crowd of family, friends, and fans.
The team, comprising Homan, third Tracy Fleury, second Emma Miskew, and lead Sarah Wilkes, secured a prize of $34,500 for their triumph. This final encounter marked the ninth overall meeting and the third consecutive time that Homan and Tirinzoni faced off in a Grand Slam women’s final. Homan emerged victorious, extending her lead in head-to-head matchups to 7-2, with Tirinzoni recently winning the Players’ Championship and Homan claiming the AMJ Masters title.
Expressing her joy, Homan stated, “You couldn’t ask for anything more than that to have your home Slam be the one that you break records. It’s just really surreal right now to be able to do it in front of friends and family.” In the final, Homan started strong by scoring four points in the first end, maintaining a lead of 5-2 after four ends, and securing the win with a steal of one point in the fifth end and two points in the sixth.
On the men’s side, Scotland’s Bruce Mouat outplayed Matt Dunstone from Winnipeg, Man., with a 5-2 victory after scoring two points in the first and fourth ends. This win marked Mouat’s 11th Grand Slam title, while Dunstone claimed his second Grand Slam title at last month’s AMJ Masters in London, Ont. The match was highly anticipated as a rematch of the 2016 world junior final, where Dunstone secured bronze for Canada, and Mouat clinched gold for Scotland.