WESTERN CHALLENGE
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Western Challenge is a national 12-goal tournament established in 1986 and has been hosted exclusively by Houston Polo Club (Houston, Texas) and Brookshire Polo Club (Brookshire Polo Club).
Last played in 2018 at the Houston Polo Club, Whitehall Ranch (Bill Lane, Toly Ulloa, Brooks Ballard, Facundo Obregon, Sterling Giannico) met Tonkawa (Jeff Hildebrand, Cody Ellis, Matt Coppola, Tommy Biddle) in the final, where Whitehall Ranch's aggressive offensive tactics ultimately enabled them to seize the trophy 9-8. Read the 2018 article here.
Returning in 2022 to the Brookshire Polo Club, this year's edition of the Western Challenge features four of the five original teams from the recently awarded Regional Classic-Southwestern, with Old Pueblo, Eureka, Brown Bears and the separation of Whitehall/Brookshire Polo to form two teams in Brookshire Polo and Whitehall.
Current Regional Classic-Southwestern champion Leigh Anne Hall will remain with Old Pubelo, Toto Collardin will join Brookshire Polo and Team USPA alumna Audry Persano will compete for Whitehall alongside reigning Western Challenge titleholder Bill Lane. Fellow Team USPA alumnus and runner-up in the Regional Classic-Southwestern Matt Coppola will compete for Brown Bears.
Photo: 2018 Western Challenge Champions: Whitehall Ranch - Bill Lane, Toly Ulloa, Facundo Obregon and Sterling Giannico, pictured with Brooks Ballard. ©Monique Brooks/Houston Polo Club
