A new edition of the US Open Women’s Polo Championship, the most prestigious women’s tournament in the United States, is due to kick off on Friday, March 10. The tournament will take place between Port Mayaca Polo Club and the brand new USPA-owned National Polo Center-Wellington, set in Wellington, Florida. Five teams, up to 24 goals (ladies handicap), are set to compete.
The US Open Women’s Polo Championship dates back to the 1930s in California. The first women’s U.S. Open tournament was presented by the United States Women’s Polo Association in 1937 at Golden Gate Field in San Francisco, California. The winners of that first ever tournament was Riviera, composed by Louise Tracey, Dorothy Rodgers, Audrey Scott and Ruth Cropp, who defeated Santa Barbara 9-4 in the final. Women were officially welcomed into the United States Polo Association (USPA) in 1972 with Sue Sally Hale, a pioneer of ladies polo and the mother of the beloved Sunny Hale, one of the most enthusiastic promoters of ladies polo, becoming one of the first woman members. The modern U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship competition did not resurface until the early 1990s. The US Open Women’s Polo Championship was officially recognized as a national tournament in 2011 and they landed in Florida, in 2018.
The qualifying stages of the US Open Women’s Polo Championship will take place at Port Mayaca Polo Club, and the final, due on Sunday, March 19, will be played on ground 1 at the National Polo Center.
US OPEN WOMEN’S POLO CHAMPIONSHIP – TEAMS:
Dundas: Sarah Siegel Magness 1, Erica Gandomcar 3, Mia Cambiaso 8, Nina Clarkin 10. Total: 24.
La Fe: Winifred Branscum 1, Pamela Flanagan 5, Hope Arellano 8, Hazel Jackson 10. Total: 24.
El Cid Fitness: Cecilia Cochran 5, Heather Souto 5, Fatima Balzano 6, Milagros Sanchez 8. Total: 24.
San Saba: Dawn Jones 5, Kylie Sheehan 5, Isabelle Parsons 8, Gillian Johnston 6. Total: 24.
BTA: Sophie Grant 5, Maddie Grant 5, KC Krueger 6, Sarah Wiseman 7. Total: 23.
US OPEN WOMEN’S POLO CHAMPIONSHIP – FIXTURE (local time)
Friday, March 10:
12pm: El Cid Fitness vs. Dundas
2pm: BTA vs. La Fe
Sunday, March 12:
1pm: Dundas vs. San Saba
Tuesday, March 14:
1pm: El Cid Fitness vs. La Fe
3pm: BTA vs. San Saba
Thursday, March 16:
1pm: Semifinal #1
3pm: Semifinal #2
Sunday, March 19:
4pm: Final US Open Women’s Polo Championship
Cover photo, Mia Cambiaso, final US Open Women’s Polo Championship 2022, by Agustina Fonda.