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 city | Sudbury, Ontario |
| Arena | Garson Arena |
| Dates | December 11 – 14 |
| Winner |  Wayne Middaugh |
| Curling club | St. George's G&CC, Etobicoke, Toronto |
| Skip | Wayne Middaugh |
| Third | Graeme McCarrel |
| Second | Joe Frans |
| Lead | Scott Bailey |
| Finalist |  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 edit
The teams were as follows:[6]
Playoffs edit
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 edit
- ^ Erickson spared for regular lead Marcel Rocque, who could not take time off work
References edit
- ^ a b c "Ferbey, Martin ready to rock". Edmonton Journal. December 10, 2003. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
- ^ "Middaugh Wins 2003 M&M Meat Shops Masters of Curling". CurlingZone.
- ^ a b "World's best hit the ice in Sudbury for the Masters of Curling". Montreal Gazette. December 13, 2003. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
- ^ "Martin destroys Ferbey in 'tense' showdown". Edmonton Journal. December 14, 2003. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
- ^ "Wayne Middaugh tops Jeff Stoughton to win Masters". Grand Slam of Curling. December 14, 2003. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
- ^ "M&M Meat Shops Masters of Curling -- Teams". CurlingZone.
- ^ "World Curling Players' Association". Calgary Herald. December 11, 2003.
- ^ "Ferbey looks forward to weekend bonspiel". Edmonton Journal. December 10, 2003. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
- ^ "Curling". Regina Leader-Post. December 15, 2003. Retrieved 2023-12-15.