Making your World Championship debut as one of the favourites for a medal is an unusual position to be in, but it is one that Ross Whyte is ready to relish.
Ranked fifth in the world, Team Whyte are playing their first stones at the global championships this year as double Olympic medallists Team Mouat turn their focus elsewhere after Milano Cortina 2026.
Despite having never competed at a World Championships, the team, which is skipped by Whyte, and includes Robin Brydone, Craig Waddell, Euan Kyle and Duncan McFadzean, are no stranger to the top flights of competition.
Their victory at the recent Scottish National Championships, as well as a world number two standing earlier in the season is proof of their strength and Whyte is now ready to showcase it in Utah.
“It’s great to be going to our first World Championships which feels like it has been a long time coming just waiting for the opportunity to finally get to play as a team and represent Scotland,” he said.
“To get the nod and have the faith put in us feels amazing, but we know we are coming out here with a job to do and ultimately to play in a World Championships is great but we know the prize at the end of it that we would like.
“So, we are out here with full focus on trying to start as well as we can at the beginning of the week and hopefully we’ll see where we are at the business end of it.
“It is exciting for us and it is going to be a great week for us hopefully.”
Only Team Dunstone of Canada are ranked above the Scots, with a handful of top 10 teams also gracing the competition ice in the USA.
The unexpected nature of a medal hope debut throws Whyte's rink into the spotlight this March but the team are keeping their eyes focussed on the journey.
"We have played in many competitions before where we have been the underdogs for sure, but we know for this event we are probably the second-ranked team coming into this, so the expectations are probably quite high,” said Whyte.
“Ultimately, if you don’t play well in any game you are going to get beat at this level, and we know we have to bring plenty of energy and good performances to every game, so we are not really focusing on that or looking at the end of the competition.”
Despite being world number five, Whyte's rink was unable to take to the Olympic ice this winter due to the IOC's rules that only one team per nation can compete in curling.
It was a frustrating moment for the team who watching on as teams they have beaten multiple times got to achieve their Olympic dreams.
And so for Whyte, who competed as reserve for Team Mouat at Beijing 2022 and previous world championships, Ogden will now provide the opportunity to shine under his own spotlight.
"It is obviously different being out here with my own team as skip rather than being at this event as the fifth when you are always hoping that as the fifth man you won’t actually get that call up to go on the ice as you want those four players to be doing a great job out there on the ice and there are no injuries or illness,” he said.
“We are also hoping that this time everyone stays fit and it will give us the best opportunity to try and go as far as we can, but it is definitely different for me.
“Being in the environment before is great, seeing everyone in different uniforms and getting used to the structure of the whole week, has been useful, though.”
Where to Watch the Men's World Curling Championships
Scotland kick off their campaign against Team Edin's Sweden on Friday, with the competition returning to the United States for the first time since 2022.
Ogden in Utah sets the scene this time round and fans of the game can watch all the action on The Curling Channel while selected games will be streamed live on the BBC Sport website & app and BBC iPlayer.
Sportsbeat 2026