MONTY WATERBURY®
Tournament History
The Monty Waterbury is the third oldest official USPA trophy in active competition, named in honor of 10-goal polo immortal James "Monty" Waterbury. A member of The Wanderers polo team, which won polo's first U.S. Open Polo Championship® in 1904, he is also remembered as a member of the USA team known as the “Big Four,” that won five Westchester Cups against Great Britain.
In 1922, two years after his passing, his friends and teammates played for the first Monty Waterbury, at the Meadow Brook Club, in Westbury, Long Island, where it became a perpetual challenge trophy for an impressive 28-year stretch. Historically played for on handicap by teams entered in the Open, the final game for the U.S. Open Polo Championship® was also the semifinal game for the Monty Waterbury. The inaugural games in 1922 boasted crowds of up to 20,000 people, who witnessed monumental eight chukker long battles. In 1954, however, the U.S. Open Polo Championship® changed venues to Illinois, and the tournament was integrated into the Northeastern Circuit schedule, where it slowly receded into the background until its resurgence in 1975.
Most recently played in 2019 at the Greenwich Polo Club (Greenwich, Connecticut), the Monty Waterbury® was won by The Island House with a final score of 12-10 over Reelay.
Not played for in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament finds a new home at the Port Mayaca Polo Club (Okeechobee, Florida) for the 2021 edition. Four teams will battle to inscribe their names on the prestigious trophy, including Postage Stamp Farm, Iconica, Old Hickory Bourbon and Bushwood. Competing are two Active Team USPA Members in Matias Gonzalez (Postage Stamp Farm) and Santino Magrini (Old Hickory Bourbon).
Photo: 2019 Monty Waterbury Champions: The Island House - Peke Gonzalez, Toro Ruiz, Santino Magrini, Peter Holowesko. ©Peter Michaelis.
