La Fe and Valiente earned wins against Clearwater and Tamera, respectively, on the two matchdates of the US Open Polo Championship, which continued through Thursday March 28 and Friday March 29. The US Open is the most significant tournament of the United States and the highlight of the prestigious The Gauntlet of Polo, and, like the CV Whitney Cup and the USPA Gold Cup, currently takes place entirely at the USPA-owned National Polo Center Wellington, set in Wellington, Florida. The competition sees nine teams up to 22 goals, in participation.

On Thursday March 28, La Fe claimed a 12-8 win over Clearwater, while Valiente, winner of the CV Whitney Cup and runner up of the USPA Gold Cup, defeated Tamera 12-8, on Friday March 29. Tamera’s Segundo Saravi was subbed in by Tommy Collingwood in the second chukka.

The U.S. Open was originally conceived as a non-handicapped alternative to the Senior Championship tournament. The first U.S. Open, in 1904, had only two teams, the Wanderers and the Freebooters, and 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. 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 Wellington, Florida where it has been held ever since. The U.S. Open Polo Championship trophy was first presented in 1910

TOURNAMENT FORMAT

All teams will play four preliminary matches each. Following the conclusion of preliminary play, all teams will be ranked 1-9. The top four ranked teams will draw for semifinal pairings with the winners of the semifinals advancing to the U.S. Open Polo Championship final.

Any ties between teams that played each other will be broken by who-beat-who. All other ties will be broken by a one-player shootout.

The championship match of the US Open Polo Championship is set to be played on Sunday April 21, at the National Polo Center.

US OPEN POLO CHAMPIONSHIP

THURSDAY MARCH 28

LA FE 12-6 CLEARWATER

 La Fe: Lucas Díaz Alberdi 6 (2 goals), Robi Bilbao 6 (1), Francisco Elizalde 9 (8), Louis Devaleix 1. Total: 22.

*1 goal on Penalty 1.

Clearwater: Lucas Criado Jr. 7 (3 goals), Raúl Colombres 8, Jared Zenni 6 (2), Chip Campbell 1 (1). Total: 22.

Score La Fe: 4-1, 7-2, 8-3, 10-3, 11-5, 12-6.

Umpires: Martín Pascual & Héctor Galindo.               Third man: Steve Dalton.

FRIDAY MARCH 29

VALIENTE 12-10 TAMERA 

Valiente: Bob Jornayvaz 0 (1 goAl), Peke Gonzalez 7 (3), Paco de Narvaez Jr. 8 (3), Adolfo Cambiaso 10 (4). Total: 22.

*1 goal on Penalty 1.

Tamera: Alejandro Poma 1 (3 goals), Segundo Saravi 5, Matías Torres Zavaleta 8 (3), Diego Cavanagh 8 (5). Total: 22.

*Subbed in by Tommy Collingwood in the second chukka.

Score Valiente: 2-2, 5-2, 7-4, 9-7, 9-8, 12-10.

Umpires: Kimo Huddleston & Gastón Lucero.          Third man: Martín Pascual.

The US Open Polo Championship will resume on Sunday March 31, with the following order of play:

10am: La Dolfina vs. Coca Cola

4pm: Clearwater vs. Dutta Corp

US Open Polo Championship – Teams & Fixture

Cover photo, by Agustina Fonda.

2024 THE GAUNTLET OF POLO  CALENDAR

CV Whitney Cup: February 9 – 25 (Winner: Valiente)

USPA Gold Cup: February 28 – March 24 (Winner: La Dolfina/Tonkawa)

U.S. Open Polo Championship: March 27  – April 21.

Utilizing the same prize money distribution for the 2023 Gauntlet of Polo, the format guarantees a total of $200,000 in prize money. $50,000 will be awarded to each of the winning teams of the C.V. Whitney Cup and USPA Gold Cup. Similarly, $100,000 in prize money will be presented to the winner of the U.S. Open Polo Championship and any team that wins all three tournaments will be crowned the Gauntlet Champion. In keeping with the spirit of philanthropy, U.S. Polo Assn. will provide a $2,500 donation to the winner and runner-up teams of all three finals to be donated to a polo charity of their choice.

All Sunday games are due on the National Polo Center main ground