Team Jacobs crowned champions at Nufloors Penticton Curling Classic

Curlers from across the globe, including some with world-championship pedigree, hit the B.C. ice last weekend for the annual Nufloors Penticton Curling Classic.

After four days of matches at the Penticton Curling Club, it was Team Jacobs who emerged as the first-place winner and recipient of a $20,000 cheque.

“Thanks to all the teams, organizers, sponsors, and volunteers for making this eight-time running WCT (World Curling Tour) event a huge success,” the Penticton Curling Club shared in a social media post, after the tournament’s conclusion on Oct. 28.

Team Jacobs was led by Ontario-born curler Brad Jacobs, 39, who powered Canada to an Olympic gold medal in 2014.

“Couldn’t have done it without the support from the organizers and everyone cheering us on here at this A+ event and from home,” Team Jacobs wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Jacobs’ squad beat a team in the finals led by Scott Howard, a former Canadian world champion. Howard’s father, Glen, was the skip of the winning team at the Penticton tournament in 2023.

Howard’s second-place team was awarded with $15,000 following last weekend’s event. The star athlete, 34, has made nine Brier appearances and captured a World Men’s Curling Championship while representing Ontario in 2012.

The star-studded Penticton tournament opened on Oct. 25, with 24 teams from as far as Japan in town for the event. Playoff matches were played on Sunday and Monday.

Others to compete in Penticton last weekend include Edmonton’s Kevin Koe, the skip for Canada’s men’s team at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Koe’s team went 3-2 in the event’s early rounds and missed the quarterfinals.

Koe won the event when it first came to Penticton in 2017.

The Penticton Curling Club is located at 505 Vees Drive.