Jason Gunnlaugson topples Kevin Koe 6-3 to open Champions Cup

CALGARY – Winnipeg’s Jason Gunnlaugson toppled Calgary’s Kevin Koe 6-3 on Tuesday to open the Champions Cup, the seventh and final event on the Grand Slam of Curling tour.

The two teams were tied 3-3 through four ends, but Gunnlaughson scored two in the fifth and added a single in the sixth to put away the Canadian Olympian.

Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., won last year’s Champions Cup title by defeating Koe in the final.

Saskatoon’s Colton Flasch downed Switzerland’s Marc Pfister 7-4 in the other men’s draw.

On the women’s side, Calgary’s Chelsea Carey got off to a strong start with a 7-2 victory over Team Fujisawa of Japan.

Scotland’s Eve Muirhead beat Delia DeJong of Grand Prairie, Alta., 8-2, and American Jamie Sinclair squeaked out a 4-3 win over Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg.

Ottawa’s Rachel Homan is the defending women’s champion at the event.

Round-robin play continues on Wednesday. The elimination draws begin Saturday, with the championship draw scheduled for Sunday.