NATIONAL GENERAL GEORGE S. PATTON JR. CUP
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Remembered for his fierce determination and ability to lead soldiers, General George S. Patton Jr. is considered one of the greatest military figures in history. Immortalized as one of the world's most intriguing military men, Patton was known for his intemperate manner and love for the sport, carrying a fine set of polo ponies from post to post and routinely establishing matches on the weekends at the military bases he was assigned to.
Patton was an avid believer that polo was a useful tool in understanding how his fellow officers performed under pressure. Regarded as one of the most successful United States field commanders of any war, he continuously drove his troops to the highest standard of excellence in training and utilized his love for polo as a teaching aid.
In 2014, the USPA established the General George S. Patton Award to recognize individuals who have gone above the call of duty to create opportunities for military members and their families to be involved in the sport of polo. Previous recipients of the prestigious award include Russel A. Sheldon (2014), Daniel Colhoun Jr. (2015), Mark Gillespie (2016), Allen Hoe (2017), Stephen Walsh (2018), Karl Hilberg (2019), Dean Dagget (2020), Daniel Keating (2021), Marisa Tanner (2022) and Barbara Donahue (2023).
Hosted by The Hamptons Polo Club (Watermill, New York), five talented teams will go head-to-head in the inaugural edition of the National General George S. Patton Jr. Cup at the 8-goal level including A Polo Team, Equuleus, Go Guri, La Onda/Round Hill and Scuderia Solaia.
The Hampton's Polo Club will be taking advantage of the USPA's Tournament Support Program (TSP) for the National General George S. Patton Jr. Cup, which provides eligible USPA Member Clubs with waived tournament fees, trophies or trophy reimbursements up to $1,200, one professional umpire and $2,500 in prize money at no extra cost.
The USPA originally created the Tournament Stimulus Package (TSP) to help member clubs host USPA events when the United States was emerging from the first wave of the COVID-19 crisis. The USPA wanted to continue to support member clubs with TSP benefits in 2022. Therefore, it extended and expanded TSP under a new name - the Tournament Support Program. Each USPA Member Club can obtain TSP benefits for two USPA events, with the option of a third under specific circumstances.
Photo: General George S. Patton Jr. (third from left) with his Army Polo team in Hawaii in 1927. ©Patton Museum Foundation
