John Muse put together his Lucchese Polo Team, featuring Argentine superstar Adolfo Cambiaso, with one goal in mind: To win the 100th Bombardier Pacific Coast Open, the most prestigious polo tournament in the West.
ERG is the last team standing in Lucchese’s way. Following their semifinal victories Thursday, ERG and Lucchese will go man-on-man and horse-on-horse in the PCO final at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club.
Cambiaso scored seven goals in Lucchese’s eighth consecutive victory of the summer, 12-10 over Zacara. Carpinteria native Jeff Hall kept Zacara in contention with nine goals, but Cambiaso’s 80-yard blast in the final minute, putting his team up 12-9, was the clincher. Jason Crowder chipped in three goals for the winners.
ERG, an also-ran in two earlier tournaments won by Lucchese, has come on strong in the Open. Scott Wood’s team ousted the defending champion Grant’s Farm by a 12-6 score. ERG has a combination of youth (16-year-old Santi Torres) and experience (Argentine veteran Paco de Narvaez). Torres scored five goals in the semifinal. De Narvaez, who held the PCO trophy in 2003, ’05 and ’06 as a member of the Duende team, scored four.