One of the key events of the 2024-25 curling season began on Wednesday with the 2024 PointsBet Invitational from the Markin MacPhail Centre in Calgary, Alberta. In a unique format, 16 men’s teams and 16 women’s tournaments begin play in a single elimination format, like we see in tennis.
In the first day of the competition, there was a significant upset, as the number 13 seed Jordon McDonald upset the fourth seed Matt Dunstone 8-5 in an all-Winnipeg battle. McDonald, who won the 2022 Vittera Berth Bonspiel in Minnedosa, Manitoba, qualified for the PointsBet Invitational as the U25 NextGen champions.
Next up for McDonald is Calgary’s Kevin Koe, the tournament’s fifth seed. Koe made curling headlines earlier this week when he announced that he parted ways with second Jacques Gauthier. In a statement, Gauthier claimed he was cut. Koe is now curling part of a three-man team this week (along with third Tyler Tardi and lead Karrick Martin), and is expected to name a new second player soon.
This is the third ever PointsBet Invitational. Reid Carruthers of Winnipeg, Manitoba won the first two men’s events. He won in 2022 in Fredericton, New Brunswick, and in 2023 in Oakville, Ontario. The women’s champions were Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg, Manitoba (2022), and Rachel Homan of Ottawa, Ontario (2023).
