Action for the US Open Polo Championship continued thoroghout the weekend, on Saturday April 1 and Sunday April 2, with Park Place and La Fe victorious. The most prestigious polo competition in the United States and the highlight of The Gauntlet of Polo, the US Open Polo Championship is currently underway at the USPA-owned National Polo Center Wellington, in Wellington, Florida. The culminating contest of the polo season in the United States sees thirteen teams up to 22 goals, split in five leagues, in participation
Park Place, the 2022 semifinalists, had a remarkable debut, by defeating Two Trees by Jefferies 16-8, on Saturday April 1. In the following day, Sunday April 2, La Fe dominated the match and the scoreboard and overwhelmed Dutta Corp Show+ to claim an impressive 13-6 win. With Dutta Corp Show+ unable to find the flags in the first three chukkas, La Fe overwhelmed their contenders and secured a 7-0 advantage by half time. Although La Fe slowed down a bit in the second half, Dutta Corp Show+ only managed to produce six goals in the last three chukkas. But the damage was already done, and La Fe took a remarkable victory home.
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.
US OPEN POLO CHAMPIONSHIP
- SATURDAY APRIL 1
PARK PLACE 16-8 TWO TREES BY JEFFERIES
Park Place: Andrey Borodin 0 (2 goals), Juan Britos 9 (4), Hilario Ulloa 10 (9), Jason Wates, 3 (1). Total: 22.
Two Trees by Jefferies: Will Johnston 1, Juan Sanchez Elia 5 (3 goals), Mariano Aguerre 7, Miguel Novillo Astrada 8 (5). Total: 21.
Score Park Place: 4-2, 8-5, 22-5, 11-7, 13-7, 16-8.
Umpires: Kimo Huddleston & Julian Appleby. Third man: Jamie Mirikitani.
- SUNDAY APRIL 2
LA FE 13-6 DUTTA CORP SHOW+
Dutta Corp/Show +: Timmy Dutta 4 (1 goal), Joaquin Avendaño 4, Tomas Garcia del Rio 8 (3), Nino Obregon 6 (2). Total: 22.
La Fe: Louis Devaleix 1 (1 goal), Lucas Diaz Alberdi 6 (2), Francisco Elizalde 9 (10), Robi Bilbao 6. Total: 22.
Score La Fe: 2-0, 5-0, 7-0, 9-3, 11-6, 13-6.
Umpires: Martín Pascual & Jamie Mirikitani. Third man: Kimo Huddleston.
The US Open Polo Championship will resume on Monday and Tuesday, with the following order of play:
Monday April 3:
10am: La Elina vs. Pilot
Tuesday April 4:
11am: Valiente vs. Tamera
4pm: Scone vs. Palm Beach Equine
The final of the US Open Polo Championship will take place on Sunday April 23.
US Open Polo Championship – Fixture & Teams
Cover photo by Agustina Fonda.