Jacobs playoff bound

After a split on opening day, Brad Jacobs and his team from Soo Curlers qualified for the playoff round at the Elite 10 Grand Slam of Curling event in Fort McMurray, B.C. on Friday.

Jacobs picked up two wins on Friday to finish the round robin with a 3-1 record

Jacobs capped off the day with a win over John Epping 4-and-2 in the evening draw on Friday to finish the round robin.

“I’m just really proud of the way the guys came out and played today,” Jacobs said in a story on the Grand Slam of Curling website. “We played pretty awesome, really had a good handle on the ice and the rocks and I think that’s why we played so well and made so many shots.”

The tournament uses a match-play format where the final score indicates ends won as opposed to points as the traditional scores would indicate. To win an end, teams need to secure two points (with the hammer) or steal one (without the hammer).

“It’s been a lot of fun,” Jacobs told TheGrandSlamOfCurling.com. “It’s always nice to go out there and it’s pretty much 0-0 at the start of every end whether you have the hammer or not. IT’s a really cool format. I think it’s exciting for the fans and it’s exciting for the players.”

Jacobs opened the day on Friday by beating Sven Michel of Switzerland.

With one draw left to play on Friday night, Jacobs sits atop the tournament standings at 3-1. The top six teams in the standings advance to the playoff round with the top two teams earning a bye to the semi-final. The other four teams play in the quarter-final to determine the other two semi-final berths.