EAST COAST OPEN
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The East Coast Open was first played in 1978 at Myopia Polo Club in Hamilton, Massachusetts. The trophy used for the event, known as the Perry Trophy, designed by Oscar L. Lanz, was first awarded in 1905 and retired by Myopia Polo Club in 1909. Per tournament stipulations at the time, if a team won the competition three times within five years, they would keep the coveted trophy. Myopia accomplished this prior to WWI and thus owned the trophy.
It was then put into use in 1978, when Donald V. Little Sr. established the East Coast Open at Myopia Polo Club. The tournament remained at Myopia for 25 consecutive years until 2003. Throughout the ‘80s and early ‘90s the East Coast Open boasted an average of 10 teams each year. Just two years after creating his own club, Peter Brant’s White Birch garnered their first East Coat Open title, of a record 12 total wins to date. White Birch repeated their win the following year against an impressive field of 13 teams, a tournament record.
In 2005, the East Coast Open moved to the renowned Greenwich Polo Club in Greenwich, Connecticut. This year, five teams will descend on Greenwich Polo Club to compete in the Northeast’s most prestigious high-goal tournament, including Altaris, Black Hound/Don Ercole, Gardenvale, Los Violines and White Birch. Amongst the competition is Team USPA member, Peke Gonzalez (White Birch) and alumnus Felipe Viana (Gardenvale).
As the country emerges out of the COVID-19 crisis, the USPA established opportunities to support USPA Member Club events through the use of the COVID-19 USPA Polo Tournament Stimulus Package, which provides eligible USPA Member Clubs with waived tournament fees, trophies or reimbursements, one professional umpire and $2,500 in prize money per tournament at no extra cost. Offered to each club for the first two USPA tournaments of 2020 following the COVID-19 USPA Tournaments and Events suspension, Greenwich Polo Club will be taking advantage of the program for this tournament.
2019 East Coast Open Champions: Postage Stamp Farm - Annabelle Gundlach, Lerin Zubiaurre, Tomas Garcia del Rio, Brandon Phillips, pictured with Coach Roberto Gonzalez. ©Andes Visual/Greenwich Polo Club.
