2003 Masters of Curling (December)

The 2003 M&M Meat Shops Masters of Curling was held from December 11 to 14, 2003 at the Garson Arena[1] in Sudbury, Ontario.[2] The event was one of the four men's Grand Slams of the 2003–04 curling season.

The total purse for the event was $100,000, with $30,000 going to the winning team.[3] The format was a triple knockout.[1] The semifinals and finals were aired on Sportsnet.[3]

The event was the first Slam to feature the World champion Randy Ferbey rink, who had been banned from competition by the World Curling Players Association for refusing to boycott playing in the Brier due to a dispute between the Players Association and the Canadian Curling Association.[1] There was much excitement for the potential of a match between Ferbey and their cross-town rivals, Team Kevin Martin who were on opposite sides of the dispute, meaning the two teams had not played since the final of the 2001 Alberta men's championship. The two teams did end up playing off in a C qualifying match, with Martin easily winning 7–1.[4]

The final featured Wayne Middaugh of Ontario defeating Team Jeff Stoughton 5–2. Middaugh's rink won the $30,000 top prize, while Stoughton took home $18,000. There was also a third place match, which saw Team Martin defeat Nova Scotia's Mark Dacey 9–7. Team Martin earned $14,000 for third place, while Dacey won $10,000.[5]