Curling playoff picture becomes crystal clear By KIRK PENTON, QMI Agency

Canada's skip Jeff Stoughton shouts to teammates during play against Sweden at the World Men's Curling Championships in Regina, Saskatchewan April 6, 2011. (REUTERS/Andy Clark)

REGINA — The top of the playoff picture at the world men’s curling championship became crystal clear on Thursday morning.

The bottom became much more muddled.

Scotland’s Tom Brewster clinched a berth in Friday’s 1-2 Page playoff game against Canada’s Jeff Stoughton with a 6-1 win over France’s Thomas Dufour, who fell into a massive third-place logjam with a 6-4 mark.

The top four teams make the playoffs.

Stoughton eliminated China’s Yan Song Ji (4-6) from playoff contention with a hard-fought, 5-4 win that improved the Winnipeg team’s record to 10-0.

Germany’s Andy Kapp improved to 6-4 with a 7-3 triumph over winless Denmark, and Sweden’s Niklas Edin also got to 6-4 with an 8-4 victory over Korea.

Norway’s Thomas Ulsrud and Switzerland’s Christof Schwaller are both 5-4 and have two games remaining.

Canada, which wrapped up first place on Wednesday, will meet Ulsrud in its round-robin finale on Thursday night.

Stoughton, the 1996 world champ, is trying to become the first since fellow Winnipegger Kerry Burtnyk did it in 1995 to go through the event with an undefeated record.