Building on their dominance of both Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch (Dave Carlson, Shannon Mendez, Ashton Wolf and Alonso Andrade) and Granite Bay lineup (Julie Fernandez, Caroline Anier, Eric Hammon and Goyo Mariscal) in Friday’s round-robin competition, Pheasant Hollow (Debra Vermoch, Cameron Smith, Tim Rudy and Suki Piper) finished the Holiday Cup with a 7-3 win over Granite Bay and a 9-6 victory over Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch.
Pheasant Hollow faced Granite Bay in the first two chukkers of the day and rode onto the field with a 4-2 edge from the previous day’s play (a cumulative total of goals scored determine the ultimate outcome). Tim Rudy scored the first goal of the day followed by a 30-yard penalty goal from teammate Debra Vermoch. Granite Bay was held scoreless for a 2-0 Pheasant Hollow advantage.
Granite Bay took control of the second period, picking up single goals from Goyo Mariscal and Eric Hammon and shutting down the Pheasant Hollow attack, but it wouldn’t be enough. On the strength of the 5-1 lead Pheasant Hollow amassed on Friday, they would record the win, 7-3.
In the highest scoring showdown of the tournament, Pheasant Hollow and Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch matched one another goal for goal in the opening seven minutes of the third chukker of the day for a 2-2 tie. A pair of goals from Rudy were offset by single goals from Shannon Mendez and Alonso Andrade.
Rudy pushed Pheasant Hollow ahead on a goal from the field and a 60-yard penalty conversion, 4-2. Mendez and Cameron Smith exchanged goals, with Pheasant Hollow remaining on top, 5-3. Dave Carlson scored the final goal of the game for Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch, but the two-day total saw Pheasant Hollow celebrating the 9-6 win and the 2018 Holiday Cup title.
The final two periods of the tournament saw Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch and Granite Bay play to a 2-2 tie, giving the win to Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch on the strength of a two day total of 5-2 two day total.
Goals from Ashton Wolf and Alonso Andrade had Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch in front in the opening chukker, 2-0. Caroline Anier got Granite Bay on the scoreboard, but trailed 2-1.
Anier’s second goal of the day went unanswered with Ocean Air/Backshot Ranch taking the win with a two-day total of 5-2.
The Holiday Cup win was the third of the month for Peasant Hollow and was powered by a total of 11 goals from Tim Rudy over the two-day event.
The Holiday Cup was the Empire Polo Club’s fourth and final tournament of the month, but plenty of action is in store with the Opening Day/Hat Day of the 2018 season and the beginning of the Stagecoach Challenge on Sunday, December 31st.
The 2018 Empire Polo season attracts players from across the country and around the world and offers there months of fast-paced polo in the beautiful and relaxed setting of California’s winter playground.
The Empire Polo Club is located at 81-800 Avenue 51 in Indio, CA. For further information go to the club website at http://www.empirepolo.com or call 760-342-7755.
