Bruce Mouat delivered the finish his team’s near perfect season deserved in Toronto as his do-or-die final shot hit the narrowest of targets to win The AMJ Players’ Championship to make history as they became the first team to win four Grand Slam of Curling titles in a single season and completed a clean sweep of Scottish wins in curling’s most lucrative circuit.
Drawing parallels with events taking place a thousand miles down the North American east coast as Rory McIlroy was completing his career Grand Slam, Team Mouat achieved their goal by beating European rivals in overtime, once again defeating Switzerland’s Team Schwaller, the men they had overcome seven days earlier to win the World Championship. 
Mouat and teammates Grant Hardie, Bobby Lammie and Hammy McMillan had begun the match with the disadvantage of being without the hammer (last stone advantage) and had to work hard to gradually gain the upper hand before taking a two shot lead down the last of the scheduled eight ends, only for their opponents to rise to the challenge and level the match.
That took it down the extra end where the Swiss quartet continued to apply the pressure, ultimately leaving Mouat with the toughest of run backs to win the game.
However, in keeping with the judgement and execution he and his team have shown throughout this remarkable season, his stone duly skimmed past a guard and onto an opposing stone, which then drove another Scottish stone towards the button where it removed and replaced the Swiss shot that had been counting.
“That was the best possible finish to the season for us to win The Players’ and get four Slams in one season,” an elated Mouat said following the 6-5 victory.
“The history stuff is pretty special.
“Knowing that we’re the only team to have done this is amazing, so it’s a pretty incredible feeling and I’m a little overwhelmed with all the emotions, which I think I showed in that last shot.”
Poker faced as he has been at key moments throughout the season, the Scottish skip’s celebratory fist pump as he slid down the ice in pursuit of that match winning effort was as rare as his team’s achievements in the course of a season that has seen them set new standards in the men’s game, such is their lead at the top of the world rankings.
Their unprecedented efforts in the five Grand Slam events had previously seen them win the first three – The Tour Challenge, The National and The Canadian Open – before missing out at the semi-final stage of The Masters, only for compatriots Team Whyte to claim that title and maintain Scottish dominance.
In doing so they became just the fifth team to reach double figures in Grand Slam title wins and the first non-Canadians to do so, achievements which are all the more remarkable considering that no Scottish men’s team had ever won one of those events before Team Mouat was formed in 2017.
After a schedule that had seen them complete a gruelling nine days of intense competition at the World Championships last Sunday before dashing across Canada from Saskatchewan to Toronto for the charity Battle of The Sexes which they won on Monday before immediately being plunged into the week-long The Players’ Championship, Mouat’s teammates can now relax and reflect on what they have achieved.
However, Mouat typically remained fully aware of his on-going responsibilities as he noted that he still has a vital job to do in trying to ensure that Great Britain is represented in all possible disciplines in Milan-Cortina at next year’s Winter Olympics and Paralympics, when he teams up with Olympic gold medallist Jen Dodds at the World Mixed Doubles Championship later this month.
“We’re exhausted and I think all four of us are definitely going to enjoy some rest over the next few days, but then hopefully myself and Jen can finish off the job for British Curling and ensure that we’re qualified for the Olympics in all three disciplines,” he said.
“The Paras have done great qualifying in both their disciplines too, so getting all five would be amazing.”
AMJ Players’ Championships results
Team Mouat
Bruce Mouat
Grant Hardie
Bobby Lammie
Hammy McMillan
Coach: Michael Goodfellow
Images: Anil Mungal/Grand Slam of Curling
