This event is normally known as the Masters of Curling, but in 2009 it was changed to the World Cup of Curling[1]. The 2009 event had a majority of its teams from outside of Canada. The event featured one team from every country that sent a team to the men's Olympic event, except Canada, which had five teams (the four teams that had already qualified for the 2009 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials plus defending Olympic champions, team Brad Gushue.
The total purse of the event was $100,000, with the Howard rink winning $24,000 of that.
For the third event in a row, Howard faced off against Koe in the final. Howard defended his previous three titles by winning his fourth straight event, and his eighth Grand Slam title. Koe has yet to win a title, having now lost six Grand Slam finals.
Three Nations Cup
In addition to the World Cup, which is a men's event, a women's "Three Nations Cup" was held. This small event featured teams Shannon Kleibrink and Stefanie Lawton of Canada as well as Wang Bingyu of China and Eve Muirhead of Great Britain. [2] Many of the top women's teams however could not participate, as they were playing in the 2009 Manitoba Lotteries Women's Curling Classic. The event was a round robin event, which was won by Great Britain's Eve Muirhead.
