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US OPEN WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT
US OPEN WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT
Each November, as the culmination of its Fall Season, the Houston Polo Club hosts its Women’s Tournament. The 2018 Women’s Tournament drew over 90 players from across the United States to compete in this intense week of polo. While the crown jewel in the tournament is the US Open Women’s Polo Championship™, celebrating its 7th year at the club, the event is couched in a week-long polo event that sees tournaments played at four additional levels: the US Open Women’s Handicap, the Farish Cup Invitational, the Bayou City Cup, and the WCT Junior Invitational.
The US Open Women’s Polo Championship™, presented by David Yurman and Land Rover Houston Central, attracts the highest-rated women players in American and international polo. The tournament saw four top-level teams compete: BTA (25 goals), Midland Polo Club (20 goals), Rocking P (23 goals), and San Saba (26 goals). In tournament play, last year’s finalist, Rocking P, still looking like a polo powerhouse, was the first team to move to the finals. Newcomer team Midland Polo Club (MPC) upset the higher-rated BTA team to claim the second finalist spot for the Championship tournament.
Unfortunately, wet weather hit the Houston area, so the Handicap, Farish, Bayou, and WCT Junior games moved to the arena. It was the definition of making lemonade out of lemons. Thanks to the Brookshire Polo Arena, the players, grooms, and coaches, all came together to make the arena work and keep the spirit of the tournament alive with rousing arena play.
The US Women’s Open Handicap saw nine teams battle until only the two finalists, Sullivan Group and EEW Steel Trading, remained for the final. The crowd was on the edge of their seats, as the Handicap MVP, Sullivan Group’s Marissa Wells, scored a 2-point shot in the last 30 seconds to break the tie and win the game. It was an incredible game to watch!
The Farish Cup drew eight teams to the competition. The final game between Texas SBA and When Worlds Collide culminated in a tense draw, with a tie game going into the last 30 seconds of the final chukker. Ultimately, Texas SBA’s Susan Wise found the goal for her team to take home first place.
The 2018 Bayou Cup ended in a tie between the three teams. The highlight for the players was the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play with Nina Clarkin, the only woman rated at 10 goals in women’s handicaps in the world. The young players of the WCT Junior game showed incredible talent as well as they battled it out for two chukkers. It was a great game to watch as David Yurman came out victorious.
At the US Open Women’s Polo Championship™, Rocking P came out hungry to reclaim the title they had lost in 2017. MPC contained Rocking P in the first half, keeping the score close. However, in the third chukker, Hazel Jackson took control of the game and gave Rocking P a large lead over MPC. MPC kept the pressure on for the fourth chukker, but the Rocking P lead was too large. Rocking P took the title with a score of 10–2 over MPC.
Having Nina Clarkin at the tournament for the first time was a thrill for the players and spectators alike. “I had never been to Houston before and I was overwhelmed by the generosity, warmth, and welcome from everybody,” said Nina. “The fields all looked impeccable and it looked like a wonderful place to play polo. Unfortunately we were not blessed by the weather gods but we managed to get the tournament played and that was down to the hard work of management and the generosity of the field owners. The polo was fantastic and the quality and the level of play was testament to the great ponies and the players that were there.”
Hazel Jackson, a 9-goal-rated player and one of the top women players in the world, traveled from England to compete, taking the MVP honours at the US Open Women’s Championship™ game. She is an enthusiastic competitor: “The Houston ladies’ tournament has to be one of my favourite places to play. It is one of the highest-level ladies’ tournaments played in the world. I have been with Rocking P for the last few years, and I love the family, the farm, and the horses. And the prizes, sponsors, and positive atmosphere are extremely difficult to beat!”
Players and staff are grateful to Brookshire Polo and Tonkawa Farms for providing a dry haven in the midst of a wet tournament. We would like to thank the many sponsors who donated prizes and supported the tournament, and especially our presenting sponsors, David Yurman and Land Rover Houston Central.
US Open Women's Champs 2018: Rockin P
Farish Cup Champs: Texas SBA
HISTORY
The history of the US Open Women’s Polo Championship™ reflects the ups and downs that mark women’s polo in the United States. The first championship was played on the Golden Gate Field in San Francisco in 1937 and hosted by the United States Women’s Polo Association (the first and only of its kind, with a tenure ending with the onset of World War II). The tournament was re-established in 1990, the year of the USPA’s centennial, and hosted at the Empire Polo Club for several years before once again losing support. In 2011, the USPA recognized the US Open Women’s Polo Championship™ as a national tournament, where it has found a home in the longrunning Houston Polo Club Women’s Tournament.
