U.S. OPEN POLO CHAMPIONSHIP®

U.S. OPEN POLO CHAMPIONSHIP®

TOURNAMENT HISTORY

The most prestigious polo tournament in the United States, the U.S. Open Polo Championship® is the apex of the GAUNTLET OF POLO® held during the Florida high-goal winter polo season that attracts fans and polo enthusiasts from across the United States and around the world.

The U.S. Open was originally conceived as a non-handicapped alternative to the Senior Championship tournament. The first U.S. Open had only two teams, the Wanderers and the Freebooters. It was held at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx borough of New York City. Four 15-minute chukkers were played, with a seven-minute break between each chukker.

After the inaugural U.S. Open in 1904, the tournament was not played again until 1910, when it grew to include six teams. It resumed at Narragansett Pier, Rhode Island, where it was played for several years before relocating to what became its longtime home, Meadowbrook Polo Club in Old Westbury, New York. In 1954, the U.S. Open moved to Oak Brook, where it remained for 22 years, followed by an eight year stint at Retama in San Antonio, Texas. In the late 1980s and into the 1990s, the tournament circulated among several clubs throughout the United States, including Eldorado, Lexington, Palm Beach and Royal Palm.

In 2004, marking one hundred years since the tournament’s inception, the U.S. Open relocated to the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington, Florida where it has been held ever since.

The U.S. Open Polo Championship® perpetual trophy was first presented in 1910 by Joseph B. Thomas. Designed by artist Sally James Farnham, it was inspired by a seventeenth century tureen. The tall, ornate silver cup features horses and riders in relief around the top perimeter and the bottom bowl of the cup, as ornate rearing horses rise from the base of the cup.

Stolen in 2002, it was recovered a few short weeks later and is currently kept in the care and custody of the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame in Lake Worth, Florida.

After defeating each of their opponents in the C.V. Whitney Cup® and USPA Gold Cup®, Pilot carried their undefeated streak into the final leg of the GAUNTLET® and claimed the 2019 U.S. Open Polo Championship® title. Pilot is the only team to capture the title as a part of the GAUNTLET OF POLO®.

In 2020, for the first time since World War II in 1945, the tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Returning in 2021, Scone and Park Place each prepared to leave it all on the field one last time in the U.S. Open Polo Championship® Final. Scone entered halftime with the lead, and gradually took control of the game throughout the second half to cap off the season with the 14-13 win. Marking Cambiaso’s ninth U.S. Open Polo Championship® title overall, the first victory with his son Poroto made it the most personal of his career.

All thirteen teams that competed in the 2022 USPA Gold Cup® (Cessna, CK Shack, Dutta Corp/Show+, G-String Polo Ponies [formerly Coca-Cola], La Elina, La Fe, La Indiana, Old Hickory Bourbon/Airstream, Park Place, Pilot, SD Farms, Tamera) will be returning for the U.S. Open Polo Championship®, including defending champions Scone (David Paradise, Kristos "Keko" Magrini, Poroto Cambiaso, Adolfo Cambiaso).

Granting individual entires for the first time in the GAUNTLET format, seven newcomers (Aspen Valley Polo Club, Audi, Casablanca, Grand Champions Polo Club, Polo Training Foundation, Santa Rita Polo Farm, Sol de Agosto,) will enter the third leg of the GAUNTLET, bringing the competition to a record-breaking total of 20 teams vying for the title.

The 10-goalers competing this year include Pablo Mac Donough (Aspen Valley Polo Club), Gonzalito Pieres (Grand Champions Polo Club), Guillermo "Sapo" Caset (La Elina), Hilario Ulloa (Park Place), Facundo Pieres (Pilot), David "Pelon" Stirling (SD Farms), Polito Pieres (Santa Rita Polo Farm), Adolfo Cambiaso (Scone) and Juan Martin Nero (Sol de Agosto).

Showcasing many young, talented polo players, the competition will feature Active Team USPA Members Timmy Dutta (Dutta Corp/Show+), Kristos "Keko" Magrini (Scone), Graduating USPA Members Nico Escobar (G-String Polo Ponies), Santino Magrini (Old Hickory Bourbon/Airstream), and Team USPA Alumni Jared Zenni (La Elina), Cody Ellis (Park Place), Jesse Bray (Polo Training Foundation) and Grant Ganzi (Sol de Agosto).

The winner of the U.S. Open Polo Championship® will receive $100,000 in prize money. In partnership with USPA Global Licensing, each of the finalist teams will select a polo charity of their choice to receive a $2,500 donation. Click here to learn more about the GAUNTLET OF POLO®.

2022 U.S. Open Polo Championship Champions: Pilot - Curtis Pilot, Mackenzie Weisz, Matias Torres Zavaleta, Facundo Pieres. Presented by USPA Chairman Stewart Armstrong. ©David Lominska