2003 Masters of Curling (December)

The 2003 M&M Meat Shops Masters of Curling was held from December 11 to 14, 2003 at the Garson Arena[1] in Sudbury, Ontario.[2] The event was one of the four men's Grand Slams of the 2003–04 curling season.

2003 M&M Meat Shops Masters of Curling
Host citySudbury, Ontario
ArenaGarson Arena
DatesDecember 11 – 14
WinnerOntario Wayne Middaugh
Curling clubSt. George's G&CC, Etobicoke, Toronto
SkipWayne Middaugh
ThirdGraeme McCarrel
SecondJoe Frans
LeadScott Bailey
FinalistManitoba Jeff Stoughton

The total purse for the event was $100,000, with $30,000 going to the winning team.[3] The format was a triple knockout.[1] The semifinals and finals were aired on Sportsnet.[3]

The event was the first Slam to feature the World champion Randy Ferbey rink, who had been banned from competition by the World Curling Players Association for refusing to boycott playing in the Brier due to a dispute between the Players Association and the Canadian Curling Association.[1] There was much excitement for the potential of a match between Ferbey and their cross-town rivals, Team Kevin Martin who were on opposite sides of the dispute, meaning the two teams had not played since the final of the 2001 Alberta men's championship. The two teams did end up playing off in a C qualifying match, with Martin easily winning 7–1.[4]

The final featured Wayne Middaugh of Ontario defeating Team Jeff Stoughton 5–2. Middaugh's rink won the $30,000 top prize, while Stoughton took home $18,000. There was also a third place match, which saw Team Martin defeat Nova Scotia's Mark Dacey 9–7. Team Martin earned $14,000 for third place, while Dacey won $10,000.[5]

Teams

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The teams were as follows:[6]

Skip Third Second Lead Locale WCPA ranking[7]
Kerry Burtnyk Ken Tresoor Rob Fowler Keith Fenton   Winnipeg, Manitoba 8th
Mark Dacey Bruce Lohnes Rob Harris Andrew Gibson   Halifax, Nova Scotia 24th
Glen Despins Rod Montgomery Phillip Germain Dwayne Mihalicz   Regina, Saskatchewan 6th
Pete Fenson Eric Fenson Shawn Rojeski John Shuster   Bemidji, Minnesota NR
David Nedohin Randy Ferbey (skip) Scott Pfeifer Jeff Erickson[a][8]   Edmonton, Alberta 4th
Guy Hemmings Martin Ferland Pierre Charette Dale Ness   Saint-Aimé, Quebec 15th
Andy Kapp Uli Kapp Oliver Axnick Holger Höhne   Füssen, Germany NR
Blake MacDonald Jamie King (skip) Aaron Skillen Ryan Keane   Edmonton, Alberta 13th
Kevin Martin Don Walchuk Carter Rycroft Don Bartlett   Edmonton, Alberta 1st
Greg McAulay Brent Pierce Dean Koyanagi Ross Graham   Richmond, British Columbia 19th
Wayne Middaugh Graeme McCarrel Joe Frans Scott Bailey   Midland, Ontario 2nd
John Morris Kevin Koe Marc Kennedy Paul Moffatt   Calgary, Alberta 9th
Kevin Park Shane Park Scott Park Kerry Park   Edmonton, Alberta 14th
Vic Peters Ryan Fry Chris Neufeld Denni Neufeld   Winnipeg, Manitoba 10th
Keith Ryan Mike Ryan Mike Adam Dennis Langdon   Labrador City, Newfoundland and Labrador NR
Jeff Stoughton Jon Mead Garry Vandenberghe Steve Gould   Winnipeg, Manitoba 3rd

Playoffs

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The playoff scores were as follows:[9]

Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
  Kevin Martin 8
  John Morris 7
  Kevin Martin 6
  Wayne Middaugh 9
  Wayne Middaugh 8
  Kevin Park 3
  Wayne Middaugh 5
  Jeff Stoughton 2
  Mark Dacey 7
  Kerry Burtnyk 6
  Mark Dacey 4 Third place
  Jeff Stoughton 6
  Jeff Stoughton 8   Kevin Martin 9
  Guy Hemmings 6   Mark Dacey 7

Notes

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  1. ^ Erickson spared for regular lead Marcel Rocque, who could not take time off work

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Ferbey, Martin ready to rock". Edmonton Journal. December 10, 2003. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  2. ^ "Middaugh Wins 2003 M&M Meat Shops Masters of Curling". CurlingZone.
  3. ^ a b "World's best hit the ice in Sudbury for the Masters of Curling". Montreal Gazette. December 13, 2003. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  4. ^ "Martin destroys Ferbey in 'tense' showdown". Edmonton Journal. December 14, 2003. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  5. ^ "Wayne Middaugh tops Jeff Stoughton to win Masters". Grand Slam of Curling. December 14, 2003. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  6. ^ "M&M Meat Shops Masters of Curling -- Teams". CurlingZone.
  7. ^ "World Curling Players' Association". Calgary Herald. December 11, 2003.
  8. ^ "Ferbey looks forward to weekend bonspiel". Edmonton Journal. December 10, 2003. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  9. ^ "Curling". Regina Leader-Post. December 15, 2003. Retrieved 2023-12-15.