Northrup Knox Cup®
Tournament History
The magnificent sterling silver, double-handled trophy was donated to the Museum of Polo by the Knox Family in memory of Northrup R. “Norty” Knox, “for his lifetime achievements and his love of the sport” in May 2003 to be used as an award for a tournament to be played in his honor. According to the Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame, “born to polo, Norty could claim considerable achievements both on and off the field. The only amateur in the postwar era to reach an 8-goal rating, he captained the U.S. team in the challenge for the Cup of the Americas in 1965 and 1969, distinguishing himself as one of America's finest offensive players. Among his other accomplishments on the polo field are a National Twenty Goal® Championship, and a Butler Handicap title. In his many years of service to the sport, including chairmanship of the USPA (1966-1970), Norty insightfully championed the cause of low-goal players establishing the Twelve Goal and lower-goal Governor's Cup, along with the minus-one rating. These actions served well the subsequent resurgence of the sport.”
The inaugural year’s winner was New Bridge in 2003 comprised of Russ McCall, Kris Kampsen, Matias Magrini and Tommy Biddle. New Bridge would hold the title for three consecutive tournaments including back-to-back years in 2005 and 2006, defeating Dahlwood in each final game. Since New Bridge’s three-peat, no team has successfully managed to win two or more years consecutively. However, father-son duo Rick and Willie Hartnett garnered two wins in 2010 and 2014 for Winfield. Two members of the Museum of Polo’s Hall of Fame have been winners, Owen Rinehart and Adam Snow. While the tournament has always been held in Aiken, South Carolina—the Knox’s and all the old great polo families had homes there during the spring and fall—the tournament only recently moved to New Bridge Polo & Country Club in 2013. This year, four teams will compete for the trophy, including Skaneateles which claimed the 2017 title and SD Farms which claimed the 2018 title.
2018 Northrup Knox Cup® Champions: SD Farms - Jim Deal, Sayyu Dantata, Juan Martin Obregon, Peco Polledo. ©Katie Roth
