Team Brad Jacobs Advances in HearingLife Tour Challenge

CHARLOTTETOWN — Canada’s Team Brad Jacobs made significant progress in the HearingLife Tour Challenge, one victory away from securing a spot in the quarterfinals. The team triumphed with a 7-3 win over Scotland’s Team Ross Whyte during Draw 5 on Wednesday morning at the Bell Aliant Centre.

The tournament, which is the first Grand Slam of Curling event of the season, follows a triple-knockout bracket format. Teams must secure three victories before facing three losses to proceed to the playoffs. Team Jacobs (2-0) remains in the A Event, while Team Whyte (1-1) has dropped into the B Event.

The competition is also a homecoming for Team Jacobs’s second Brett Gallant, originally from Charlottetown. “It’s a lot of fun,” Gallant expressed. “It’s the first time I’ve gotten to play in a major competition in Charlottetown. There’s a little bit of energy here for our team, which just feels great.” Gallant also mentioned enjoying local seafood and showing his teammates the notable spots in Charlottetown.

Despite this being only their second game of the tournament, Gallant praised the support from the fans. “Hopefully, we can keep it rolling here and we can get some games in on the weekend,” he said. Gallant, lead Ben Hebert, and third Marc Kennedy joined Jacobs, from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, over the summer, parting ways with skip Brendan Bottcher.

Jacobs broke a 1-1 tie in the third end by chipping out Whyte’s shot rock, scoring a deuce. Following this, Whyte fell further behind 4-1 after failing a double takeout attempt. Jacobs continued to dominate, securing two more points in the sixth and eventually forcing Whyte to concede after the seventh end.

In the B Event, Switzerland’s Team Yannick Schwaller claimed a 10-3 victory over Scotland’s Team Cameron Bryce. Despite an initial 3-1 lead, Bryce was unable to maintain his position against Schwaller, who quickly turned the game around.

Additionally, Scotland’s Team James Craik narrowly defeated Team John Shuster of the United States with a score of 7-5, and Switzerland’s Team Michael Brunner edged out Canada’s Team Reid Carruthers 6-5. The results leave Schwaller, Craik, and Brunner with 1-1 records in the B Event, while Bryce, Shuster, and Carruthers move to the last-chance C Event.

Three more triple knockout draws are scheduled for Wednesday, with Draw 6 starting at noon AT / 11 a.m. ET. Coverage on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ will commence on Thursday.

The HearingLife Tour Challenge brings together 64 of the world’s best men’s and women’s teams, divided into two tiers. Winners from Tier 2 will earn invitations to the WFG Masters in January, with eight teams from each division set to qualify for the quarterfinals on Saturday.