Canadian skip Rachel Homan achieved a significant milestone on Sunday as her team from Ottawa emerged victorious over Switzerland’s Silvana Tirinzoni with a commanding 8-2 score in the CO-OP Tour Challenge final held in Nisku, Alberta. This victory marked Homan’s 19th Grand Slam title, surpassing the record previously held by Alberta’s Kevin Martin, making her the skip with the most titles across both divisions.
Hailing from nearby Beaumont, Alberta, Homan secured the win in front of a supportive crowd consisting of family, friends, and enthusiastic fans. The team, comprising Homan, third Tracy Fleury, second Emma Miskew, and lead Sarah Wilkes, earned a prize of $34,500 for their remarkable performance.
This final encounter between Homan and Tirinzoni marked their third consecutive meeting and ninth overall in a Grand Slam women’s final. Notably, Homan had previously clinched the AMJ Masters title last month, while Tirinzoni emerged victorious in the Players’ Championship last April. Homan currently leads their head-to-head matchups with a 7-2 record.
Reflecting on her achievement, Homan expressed her gratitude, stating, “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 match, Homan took an early lead by scoring four points in the first end, eventually extending her advantage to 5-2 after four ends. The victory was sealed with a steal of one in the fifth end and two more points in the sixth.
On the men’s side, Bruce Mouat from Scotland secured a 5-2 win over Matt Dunstone from Winnipeg, Manitoba, after scoring deuces in the first and fourth ends. This victory marked Mouat’s 11th Grand Slam title. The competition was a highly anticipated rematch of the 2016 world junior final, where Dunstone claimed bronze for Canada and Mouat secured the gold for Scotland. Dunstone had previously won his second Grand Slam title at the AMJ Masters in London, Ontario last month.
