Marco Hösli and his Swiss squad kicked off the European tour schedule by capturing the Baden Masters title.
Team Hösli topped countrymen Team Schwaller 5-3 in Sunday’s final.
With the score tied 3-all in the eighth end, fourth Philipp Hösli just needed to peel out Team Schwaller’s shot rock hanging on at the back of the four-foot circle to tack the winning two points on the board.
A bizarre moment occurred in the sixth as both teams sat rocks near the pin hole that was too close to call, resulting in a blank as Hösli held on to a 3-2 lead.
It looked like Yannick Schwaller’s squad was going to score big in the seventh with three rocks in the four-foot circle until the younger Hösli bailed his side out. Hösli pulled off a triple-raise tap to separate Schwaller’s trio and grab shot rock. A jam at the back on the last rock from Team Schwaller fourth Benoît Schwarz-van Berkel resulted in only a single point that knotted it up heading into the final frame.
It’s the first Baden Masters title victory for the Hösli brothers, who are supported by second Simon Gloor and lead Justin Hausherr. The team entered the event No. 9 in the world rankings.
Both clubs posted perfect 4-0 records through round-robin play. Team Hösli thumped reigning European champion Team Muskatewitz of Germany 8-1 in the quarterfinals and shut out reigning world champion Team Mouat of Scotland 8-0 in the semifinals.
The world No. 2 Team Schwaller defeated fellow Swiss squad Team Stocker 6-4 in the quarterfinals and slipped past Italy’s Team Retornaz 6-5 in the semis.
Schwaller, Schwarz-van Berkel, second Sven Michel and lead Pablo Lachat-Couchepin have already been selected to represent Switzerland at next year’s Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina. It’ll be double duty for Schwaller, who will also compete in the mixed doubles tournament with his wife, Briar Schwaller-Hürlimann.
UP NEXT
• Euro Super Series, Aug. 20-24, in Stirling, Scotland
• ADVICS Cup, Aug. 21-24, in Tokoro, Japan
About the Author
