The US Open Polo Championship, the most significant tournament of the United States, continued on Sunday March 31, with a double matchdate, that had La Dolfina and Dutta Corp victorious. The US Open is the highlight of the prestigious The Gauntlet of Polo, and, like the CV Whitney Cup and the USPA Gold Cup, is currently underway entirely at the USPA-owned National Polo Center Wellington, set in Wellington, Florida. The competition sees nine teams up to 22 goals, in participation.
In the first contest, La Dolfina claimed a 15-13 victory over Coca Cola. Later, in the afternoon, Dutta Corp overwhelmed Clearwater with an impressive 18-7 win, led by a remarkable performance delivered by Tomás García del Río, who produced nine goals.
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
SUNDAY MARCH 31
LA DOLFINA 15-13 COCA COLA
La Dolfina: Alejandro Aznar 0 (1 goal) Rufino Merlos 3 (2), Poroto Cambiaso 10 (3), Tomás Panelo 9 (8). Total: 22.
*1 goal on Penalty 1.
Coca Cola: Gillian Johnston 0 (1 goal), Kristos Magrini 6 (1), Polito Pieres 9 (6), Torito Ruiz 7 (3). Total: 22.
*2 goals on Penalty 1.
Score La Dolfina: 3-2, 5-4, 8-5, 9-9, 11-11, 15-13.
Umpires: Héctor Galindo & Jamie Mirikitani. Third man: Gastón Lucero.
DUTTA CORP 18-7 CLEARWATER
Dutta Corp: Timmy Dutta 4 (3 goles), Mariano Obregón 6 (3), Joaquín Avendaño 4 (2), Tomás García del Río 8 (9). Total: 22.
*1 gol de Penalty 1.
Clearwater: Lucas Criado Jr. 7 (3 goals), Raúl Colombres 8 (3), Jared Zenni 6, Chip Campbell 1 (1). Total: 22.
Score Dutta Corp: 4-0, 6-2, 10-4, 15-4, 17-7, 18-7.
Umpires: Kimo Huddleston & Julian Appleby. Third man: Martín Pascual.
Action for the US Open Polo Championship will resume on Tuesday April 2, with the following schedule:
10am: La Fe vs. Valiente
4pm: Tamera vs. Park Place
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