The inaugural Masters was held in Gander, N.L., in January 2002, the first season of the Grand Slam of Curling series. Bruce Korte skipped his team to their first and only Grand Slam title defeating Team Stoughton in the final.
Brent Laing and Craig Savill have won the tournament a record seven times including four in a row with Team Howard from 2006 to 2009.
For three seasons from 2009 to 2011 the event was known as the World Cup of Curling. A Three Nations Cup women’s tournament was held simultaneously during the 2009 edition in Mississauga, Ont., featuring Great Britain’s Team Muirhead, China’s Team Wang and Canada’s Team Lawton and Team Kleibrink. Team Muirhead topped the round-robin table with a 3-1 record to win the title.
Team Howard’s “drive for five” consecutive Masters titles came to a halt during the 2010 semifinals with a 6-4 loss to Team Stoughton. Team McEwen defeated Team Stoughton in the final to capture their first career Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling championship.
The Masters reverted to its original name in 2012 and was the first event held under Sportsnet ownership. A women’s division was added to the field and the 2012 also featured a Tier II division with two teams advancing to the Tier I quarterfinals.
Team Koe had been finalists at the tournament on three consecutive occasions and finally clinched the title in 2012 with a 7-5 win over Team Cotter. Team Homan ran the women’s table with a perfect 8-0 record to win the championship and their first Grand Slam of Curling title.
Team Gushue captured their second Grand Slam of Curling title at the 2014 Masters, their first since the 2010 National, although runners-up Team McEwen stole headlines with a sizzling shot to score four points in the sixth end. Team Sweeting was victorious in the women’s division with super spare Cathy Overton-Clapham filling in at third.
Team Homan won their third Masters title in four seasons in 2015 although it was their first with new second Joanne Courtney. Homan went undefeated through the event posting a 7-0 record including a win over Sweeting in the final.
The 2016 Masters featured not one but two first-time Grand Slam of Curling title winners. Team Edin stole in an extra end to stun Team Jacobs and become the first non-Canadian men’s club to claim a championship in the series. Team Flaxey battled out of the tiebreaker stage and completed a miracle run upsetting defending champ Team Homan on the women’s side.