Switzerland's Team Alina Pätz and Team Danny Casper of the United States have accepted their invitations to the GSOC Open.
The Grand Slam of Curling confirmed Tuesday that Pätz and Casper will compete in its fourth event of the season, Dec. 1-6, at Fort William Gardens in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
TICKETS: Full-event, weekend and day passes are now available! Visit GSOCtickets.com to purchase your tickets today.
Team Pätz and Team Casper guaranteed their spots after winning the Stu Sells Oakville Tankard earlier this month in Oakville, Ontario. The tournament is part of the new Satellite Events series, with the winners qualifying for select Grand Slam of Curling tournaments.
Pätz defeated Team Xenia Schwaller 6-4 in the all-Swiss women's final, and Casper topped Winnipeg's Team Jordon McDonald 9-5 on the men's side.
It's been a stellar start to the season for Pätz, who returned to skipping after spending the past eight years with Silvana Tirinzoni. Pätz won an Olympic silver medal, four world titles and six Grand Slam titles during her tenure with Tirinzoni. Her new team also captured the Euro Super Series and AMJ Shorty Jenkins Classic titles, defeating Schwaller in those finals as well.
The GSOC Open features 16 teams in the men’s and women’s divisions: the top 12 teams from the world rankings as of Nov. 3, two sponsors’ exemptions and two Satellite qualifiers.
Should Casper and Pätz maintain their top-12 rankings by the qualification cutoff date, the Grand Slam of Curling will reallocate the Stu Sells Oakville Tankard entries to the highest-finishing teams from the event that are not ranked in the top 12.
The Henderson Metal Fall Classic, Oct. 21-24 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and the Swiss Chalet Women’s Curling Stadium Spiel, Nov. 6-8 in North Bay, Ontario, will qualify the other two Satellite spots for the GSOC Open.
