1999 Players' Championship

The 1999 GMC World Curling Tour Players' Championship, the championship of the men's World Curling Tour (WCT) for the 1998-99 curling season was held March 17–21, 1999 at the Max Bell Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba.[2] The total purse for the event was $150,000[3] with $20,000 going to the winning team, plus $1,000 per win and $250 per loss.[4]

Ontario's Team Wayne Middaugh went undefeated en route to Middaugh's third tour championship title, and second as a skip. The team defeated the Russ Howard rink (also from Ontario, but with Howard living in New Brunswick) in the final, 9–5. The victory was helped by a three-ender in the third after Howard missed both of his draws, giving Middaugh an easy draw to take a 4–2 lead up to that point. In the fifth, Howard attempted to tie the game with a tap-back for two, but his rock hit a guard, resulting in a steal of one for Middaugh, who took a 5–2 lead.[5] Middaugh did not look back from there. With the win, he took home $25,000 for the week, and Howard won $19,250.[2]

The event was well attended, with over 18,000 spectators in total, a record for the WCT at that point. It was said more people were turned away from the sold-out final than had attended the entire event in 1997, which was held at Winnipeg's Granite Club.[1]

Games were played in eight ends, instead of the usual ten so that all the games could fit into the schedule to accommodate the playoffs, which would be shown on television. This drew criticism from some of the teams, who preferred 10 ends.[6] The semifinals were shown on CTV Sportsnet, and the final was shown on CTV. The semis and the final were played in 10 ends.[7]