Qualification changes made for Canadian Open & Champions Cup
The Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling has modified the qualification requirements for two events for the 2016-17 season: the Meridian Canadian Open and the Humpty’s Champions Cup.
The Meridian Canadian Open — the fourth event and third major of the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season — will now include the top teams from both the World Curling Tour’s Order of Merit (OOM) and year-to-date (YTD) ranking systems.
Both men’s and women’s divisions will feature 16 teams based on the following criteria:
• The top seven teams from the OOM ranking will receive an invitation.
• The top seven teams from the YTD ranking will also be invited.
• One spot reserved for the winner of the Tour Challenge Tier 2 event.
• One spot available for a sponsor’s exemption. The Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling reserves the right to implement a sponsor’s exemption for both the men’s and women’s divisions in which one spot could be filled at our discretion.
As there will be teams ranked in the top seven on both OOM and YTD lists we will go down both lists evenly until the field is complete (beginning with OOM and continuing to YTD).
The Meridian Canadian Open previously featured teams exclusively from the OOM ranking list plus a sponsor’s exemption. This has been altered to reward teams who have been successful on tour during the first half of the season.
The 2017 Meridian Canadian Open runs Jan. 3-8 at the Civic Centre in North Battleford, Sask. Tickets are now available, click here for more information.
The Humpty’s Champions Cup — the season finale Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling event featuring the top winners from the tour season — will now include the event’s reigning champions.
Winnipeg’s Team Jennifer Jones captured the inaugural Humpty’s Champions Cup women’s title this past season defeating Ottawa’s Team Rachel Homan in the final while Winnipeg’s Reid Carruthers edged Toronto’s Team John Epping in a thrilling second extra end to become the first men’s champion.
Both Team Jones and Team Carruthers will receive invites to the 2017 Humpty’s Champions Cup, running April 25-30 at WinSport Arena at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, for a chance to defend their titles.
The Humpty’s Champions Cup features 15 men’s teams and 15 women’s teams in one final showdown to cap the curling year. Teams must win a high-profile tournament during the season in order to qualify. Please visit the Humpty’s Champions Cup qualification page for a full breakdown of eligible events.
Owned and operated by Sportsnet since 2012, the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling is an elite series of men’s and women’s curling events which are part of the World Curling Tour and feature the best teams from across Canada and around the world.
Below is a complete list of dates and locations for our 2016-17 schedule:
Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling 2016-17 schedule