HERITAGE CUP™
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Founded in 1986, the Heritage Cup has been held at prestigious venues such as Chicago International Polo Club (Oswego, Illinois), New Bridge Polo & Country Club (Aiken, South Carolina) and Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club (Carpinteria, California), with Arranmore capturing three consecutive titles from 2003-2005. In 2017, the tournament moved to the fields of Port Mayaca Polo Club (PMPC) in Okeechobee, Florida, where it remains today.
In 2022, a nail-biting match featured defending champions BTA (Geronimo Obregon, Steve Krueger, Juan Martin Obregon, Kelly Beal) against Blandings (Stewart Burkland, Carlitos Gracida, Costi Caset, Tommy Collingwood), who entered their second straight final after capturing the 14-goal Mayaca Challenge trophy just one month earlier.
In one of the most memorable finals to date, overtime was needed not just once, but twice, where the dramatic contest culminated with BTA’s Juan Martin Obregon breaking free for the golden goal and the remarkable 7-6 victory for BTA. Read article here.
The anticipated 2023 edition features five teams vying for the national 12-goal title. Dawn Jones and KC Krueger will join BTA/San Saba as the only two women competing in the tournament. Beverly Polo looks to continue adding to their national polo resume, as newcomer La Fe looks to continue their hot start to the Florida season after their victory at the 16-goal level in the NPC Inaugural Cup.
Port Mayaca Polo Club will be taking advantage of the USPA's Bridge to High Goal Initiative (B2HG) for the Heritage Cup, which provides eligible USPA Member Clubs three USPA Professional Umpires (two mounted officials and one third man) at 50% of the regular cost to the club.
The Bridge to High Goal Initiative (B2HG) has been created to support polo between 12 and 16 goals, a currently under-supported level of polo in the United States. The goal of the program is to build a bridge from low-goal polo to high-goal polo that provides a safe environment for competition which will allow for the cultivation of sponsors and the advancement of aspiring professionals.
Photo: 2022 Heritage Cup Champions: BTA - Geronimo Obregon, Steve Krueger, Juan Martin Obregon, Kelly Beal. ©David Lominska
