The 2025 WFG Masters was held from January 14 to 19 at the Sleeman Centre in Guelph, Ontario.[1] It was the fourth Grand Slam event and third major of the 2024–25 curling season.
A new scoring rule is being tested at the event where a team will lose the hammer after two consecutive blank ends. The decision was made following three straight blanks between Brad Gushue and Mike McEwen in their round robin match at the 2024 National. The goal is to increase scoring and make the game more entertaining for spectators.[2]
For the first time in Slam history, a draft was held to select the round robin pools. The top four seeds on both the men's and women's sides chose their opponents via snake order with the top seeds Bruce Mouat and Rachel Homan getting first pick as well as their choice of crossover pool.[3] The pools were chosen by teams Mouat, Yannick Schwaller, Mike McEwen and Brad Gushue on the men's side and Homan, Silvana Tirinzoni, Kerri Einarson and Kim Eun-jung on the women's side.
Teams Jordon McDonald, Kayla Skrlik and Danielle Inglis made their top tier Grand Slam debut.[4]
Prior to the event, elite curlers representing 15 men's and 15 women's teams released a "Proposal for Fair Play in Curling" outlining concerns over new foam pad technologies being used by some teams. Their worry was that the new foam, despite being compliant with World Curling specifications "appears to enhance sweeping performance", contrary to the goals of the 2016 sweeping summit, which was held following the Broomgate scandal. Team John Epping was one rink that used the new foam broomheads, which were manufactured by BalancePlus. His rink was asked not to use them for the event.[5]
For the first time since 2006, Brad Gushue finished with a winless record at a Grand Slam of Curling event.[6]
Following the round robin, the top three seeded teams got to choose their playoff opponents for the quarterfinal round.[7] It was the first time the quarterfinal matchups were decided in this way. The choices were made, in order, by Brad Jacobs, Matt Dunstone and Ross Whyte on the men's side and Anna Hasselborg, Kim Eun-jung and Rachel Homan on the women's side.[8]
Qualification
Sixteen teams will compete in the Masters. They include the seven top-ranked teams on the World Curling Federation's Order of Merit rankings as of December 10, 2024, the seven top teams on the Year-to-Date rankings as of December 10, the Tier 2 winner of the 2024 Tour Challenge, and a sponsor's exemption. In the women's division, the top eight teams on the Year-to-Date rankings qualified as Tier 2 winner Christina Black accepted an invitation to the 2024 National instead of the Masters as it conflicts with the 2025 Nova Scotia Scotties Tournament of Hearts.[9]
Men
Top men's teams as of December 10:
Tour Challenge Tier 2 winner:
Sponsor's exemption:
Women
Top women's teams as of December 10:
Sponsor's exemption:
Men
Teams
The teams are listed as follows:[4][14]
| Skip | Third | Second | Lead | Alternate | Locale |
| Korey Dropkin | Thomas Howell | Andrew Stopera | Mark Fenner | | Duluth, Minnesota |
| Matt Dunstone | Colton Lott | E. J. Harnden | Ryan Harnden | | Winnipeg, Manitoba |
| Niklas Edin | Oskar Eriksson | Rasmus Wranå | Christoffer Sundgren | | Karlstad, Sweden |
| John Epping | Jacob Horgan | Tanner Horgan | Ian McMillan | | Sudbury, Ontario |
| Brad Gushue | Mark Nichols | Brendan Bottcher | Geoff Walker | | St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Philipp Hösli (Fourth) | Marco Hösli (Skip) | Simon Gloor | Justin Hausherr | | Glarus, Switzerland |
| Brad Jacobs | Marc Kennedy | Brett Gallant | Ben Hebert | | Calgary, Alberta |
| Rylan Kleiter | Joshua Mattern | Matthew Hall | Trevor Johnson | | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan |
| Jordon McDonald | Dallas Burgess | Elias Huminicki | Cameron Olafson | | Winnipeg, Manitoba |
| Mike McEwen | Colton Flasch | Kevin Marsh | Dan Marsh | | Saskatoon, Saskatchewan |
| Bruce Mouat | Grant Hardie | Bobby Lammie | Hammy McMillan Jr. | | Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Marc Muskatewitz | Benjamin Kapp | Felix Messenzehl | Johannes Scheuerl | Mario Trevisiol | Füssen, Germany |
| Magnus Ramsfjell | Martin Sesaker | Bendik Ramsfjell | Gaute Nepstad | | Trondheim, Norway |
| Joël Retornaz | Amos Mosaner | Sebastiano Arman | Mattia Giovanella | | Trentino, Italy |
| Benoît Schwarz-van Berkel (Fourth) | Yannick Schwaller (Skip) | Sven Michel | Pablo Lachat | | Geneva, Switzerland |
| Ross Whyte | Robin Brydone | Duncan McFadzean | Euan Kyle | | Stirling, Scotland |
Round robin standings
Final Round Robin Standings
| Key |
| | Teams to Playoffs |
| | Teams to Tiebreakers |
Round robin results
All draw times are listed in Eastern Time (UTC−05:00).[15]
Draw 2
Tuesday, January 14, 11:30 am
| Sheet B | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Final |
Bruce Mouat | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | X | 4 |
Jordon McDonald | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | X | 2 |
Draw 4
Tuesday, January 14, 6:30 pm
Draw 5
Wednesday, January 15, 8:00 am
| Sheet C | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Final |
Niklas Edin | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
Jordon McDonald | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
Draw 7
Wednesday, January 15, 3:30 pm
Draw 9
Thursday, January 16, 8:00 am
Draw 11
Thursday, January 16, 3:30 pm
| Sheet B | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Final |
Marco Hösli | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Jordon McDonald | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
Draw 14
Friday, January 17, 11:30 am
Draw 16
Friday, January 17, 7:30 pm
| Sheet D | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Final |
Jordon McDonald | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | X | X | 2 |
Korey Dropkin | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | X | X | 8 |
Tiebreakers
Saturday, January 18, 7:30 am
Playoffs
Quarterfinals
Saturday, January 18, 11:00 am
Semifinals
Saturday, January 18, 7:00 pm
Final
Sunday, January 19, 12:00 pm
Women
Teams
The teams are listed as follows:[4][16]
| Skip | Third | Second | Lead | Alternate | Locale |
| Stefania Constantini | Elena Mathis | Marta Lo Deserto[b] | Angela Romei | | Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy |
| Kerri Einarson | Val Sweeting | Karlee Burgess | Krysten Karwacki | | Gimli, Manitoba |
| Satsuki Fujisawa | Chinami Yoshida | Yumi Suzuki | Yurika Yoshida | | Kitami, Japan |
| Gim Eun-ji | Kim Min-ji | Kim Su-ji | Seol Ye-eun | Seol Ye-ji | Uijeongbu, South Korea |
| Ha Seung-youn | Kim Hye-rin | Yang Tae-i | Kim Su-jin | Park Seo-jin | Chuncheon, South Korea |
| Anna Hasselborg | Sara McManus | Agnes Knochenhauer | Sofia Mabergs | Johanna Heldin | Sundbyberg, Sweden |
| Rachel Homan | Tracy Fleury | Emma Miskew | Sarah Wilkes | | Ottawa, Ontario |
| Danielle Inglis | Kira Brunton | Calissa Daly | Cassandra de Groot | Kim Tuck | Ottawa, Ontario |
| Kim Eun-jung | –[c] | Kim Cho-hi | Kim Seon-yeong | | Gangneung, South Korea |
| Ikue Kitazawa | Seina Nakajima | Ami Enami | Minori Suzuki | Hasumi Ishigooka | Nagano, Japan |
| Kaitlyn Lawes | Selena Njegovan | Jocelyn Peterman | Kristin Gordon | Becca Hebert | Winnipeg, Manitoba |
| Xenia Schwaller | Selina Gafner | Fabienne Rieder | Selina Rychiger | | Zurich, Switzerland |
| Kayla Skrlik | Margot Flemming | Ashton Skrlik | Geri-Lynn Ramsay | | Calgary, Alberta |
| Momoha Tabata (Fourth) | Miku Nihira (Skip) | Sae Yamamoto | Mikoto Nakajima | Ayami Ito | Sapporo, Japan |
| Alina Pätz (Fourth) | Silvana Tirinzoni (Skip) | Carole Howald | Selina Witschonke | | Aarau, Switzerland |
| Isabella Wranå | Almida de Val | Maria Larsson | Linda Stenlund | | Sundbyberg, Sweden |
Round robin standings
Final Round Robin Standings
| Key |
| | Teams to Playoffs |
| | Teams to Tiebreakers |
Round robin results
All draw times are listed in Eastern Time (UTC−05:00).[15]
Draw 1
Tuesday, January 14, 8:00 am
Draw 3
Tuesday, January 14, 3:00 pm
Draw 6
Wednesday, January 15, 11:30 am
Draw 8
Wednesday, January 15, 7:30 pm
Draw 10
Thursday, January 16, 11:30 am
Draw 12
Thursday, January 16, 7:30 pm
Draw 13
Friday, January 17, 8:00 am
Draw 15
Friday, January 17, 3:30 pm
Tiebreakers
Saturday, January 18, 7:30 am
Playoffs
Quarterfinals
Saturday, January 18, 3:00 pm
Semifinals
Saturday, January 18, 7:00 pm
Final
Sunday, January 19, 4:30 pm
Notes
References
- ^ "WFG Masters". Grand Slam of Curling. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ "New hammer rule to be tested at next Grand Slam of Curling event". Sportsnet. December 17, 2024. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ Jonathan Brazeau (December 17, 2024). "GSOC holds first-ever draft to select pools for WFG Masters". Sportsnet. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ a b c "The confirmed teams for the WFG Masters!". Facebook. Grand Slam of Curling. December 17, 2024. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ "Broomgate 2.0 Threatens Curling". The Curling News. January 13, 2025. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
- ^ Jonathan Brazeau (January 17, 2025). "Dunstone defeats Muskatewitz to stay undefeated heading into WFG Masters playoffs". Grand Slam of Curling. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
- ^ Jonathan Brazeau (January 17, 2025). "Kim, Hasselborg take perfect records into WFG Masters playoffs". Grand Slam of Curling. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
- ^ Jonathan Brazeau (January 17, 2025). "Jacobs, Dunstone and Whyte select opponents for WFG Masters quarterfinals". Grand Slam of Curling. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
- ^ "Format and Qualification". Grand Slam of Curling. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ "Men's Order of Merit". CurlingZone. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ "Men's Year-to-Date". CurlingZone. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ "Women's Order of Merit". CurlingZone. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ "Women's Year-to-Date". CurlingZone. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ "Men's Teams". CurlingZone. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ a b "Draw Schedule". Grand Slam of Curling. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
- ^ "Women's Teams". CurlingZone. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
External links
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