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USPA
G U L F S T R E A M P A C I F I C C O A S T O P E N , S A N T A B A R B A R A P O L O & R A C Q U E T C L U B , C A L I F O R N I A , U S A , A U G U S T 2 0 1 7
A C T I O N
P A C I F I C C O A S T O P E N
Farmers & Merchants Bank won the Gulfstream Pacific Coast Open
in a nail-biting second overtime chukka, reports Alex Webbe
Few can deny the rich tradition of the Pacific
Coast Open, a tournament that dates back
to 1909 when the home Burlingame team
of Richard M Tobin, Walter Hobart, Thomas
Driscoll and John Lawson defeated Ranelagh
(England) by 5–2. The England team (Major
GW Hobson, Frank B Hurndall, Frank Gill
and Major HR Lee) returned the following
year and downed Burlingame 8–4, and
the tournament was in play.
Over the years, the Pacific Coast Open
has fielded teams with players ranging from
10-goalers Tommy Hitchcock, Cecil Smith
and Robert Skene to Hollywood producers
Hal Roach and Darryl F Zanuck. As recently
as 2012, Adolfo Cambiaso was on hand to
lead John Muse’s Lucchese team to a third
consecutive title and Gulfstream Aerospace
returned in 2015 as the title sponsor, binding
its legacy with the historic tournament.
Since 2015, the Pacific Coast Open has
been played at the 16-goal level. While
players such as Adolfo Cambiaso and David
‘Pelón’ Stirling might not populate the
current team rosters, there is a plethora
of up-and-coming younger players looking
to make their mark on the polo scene. As
a result, Nico Escobar, Felipe Vercellino,
Jared Zenni, Hilario Figueras, Costi Caset
and Joaquin Panelo were allowed to
compete, and all made impressive showings.
Leading up to the Pacific Coast Open
final, Klentner Ranch had won two of the
three 16-goal tournaments, capturing the
Mayors Cup as well as the Bob Skene Trophy.
Farmers &Merchants Bank (FMB) beat Santa
Clara in the final of the USPA America Cup.
Both FMB and Klentner Ranch swept
through preliminary Pacific Coast Open play
