C.V. Whitney Cup
History
Originally known as the U.S. Handicap, the C.V. Whitney Cup was first competed for in 1979 by handicap, and played in conjunction with the U.S. Open Championship®. Played at Retama Polo Center in San Antonio, Texas, it was won the first two years by Tulsa.
Nine years later, in 1988, the tournament was renamed for C.V. (Cornelius Vanderbilt “Sonny”) Whitney, an avid polo player and three-time winner of the U.S. Open in 1928, 1937 and 1938, and son of 10-goal Hall of Famer Harry Payne Whitney. In its inaugural years in 1988 and 1989, Mr. Whitney was on hand in Lexington, Kentucky, to make the first presentations of the C.V. Whitney Cup. The winner of the cup those first two years was the Ft. Lauderdale team of Jack Oxley, Joey Casey, Ernesto Trotz and Bart Evans.
Now played as a stand-alone tournament, the C.V. Whitney Cup is the first of four 26-goal tournaments at the International Polo Club Palm Beach (IPC) in Wellington, Florida, its home since 2003. It will be followed by the USPA Gold Cup®, the Butler Handicap and the U.S. Open Polo Championship®.
In 2015 the Orchard Hill team defeated Alegria in the highest-scoring final in C.V. Whitney Cup history 16-13. Orchard Hill defended their title in 2016 defeating Audi 11-9. Julian de Lusarreta was awarded Most Valuable Player after scoring two goals in the final minutes of play to put Orchard Hill in the lead for the first time and seal the win. Notable past winners include Valiente (2014 and 2012), Lechuza (1999, 2002, 2011) and White Birch (1995, 1996, 2000, 2001 and 2005).
