We miss sports just as much as you do right now, so join us as we look back on the six professional sports events that put the “perfect” in Perfect Week of Sports. The first ever Perfect Week of Sports took place February 22 through February 27 in partnership between the Palm Beach County Sports Commission and six professional sports events. These events attracted thousands of spectators from around the world to Palm Beach County.
While other major markets have multiple professional sports spread over multiple seasons, the Perfect Week of Sports represents the greatest collection of professional sports events anywhere held over six days. The slate of events included the Delray Beach Open ATP Championship Tennis, Gauntlet of Polo, Major League Baseball (MLB) Spring Training at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium and FITTEAM Ballpark of The Palm Beaches, Winter Equestrian Festival, and The Honda Classic PGA TOUR.
Delray Beach Open (Feb. 22)
The Delray Beach Open, held at the Delray Beach Tennis Center, featured several exhilarating matches highlighted by the event’s first female exhibition match that pitted Delray Beach resident and rising tennis sensation Coco Gauff against reigning NCAA Division I champion Estela Perez-Somarriba. The men’s singles event was won by Palm Coast’s Reilly Opelka and the doubles crown was captured by Bob and Mike Bryan in their final appearance at The Open.
The Gauntlet of Polo (Feb. 23)
The C.V. Whitney Cup, the first leg of three events that comprise the Gauntlet of Polo, was won by Las Monjitas. With the win, Las Monjitas improved on their already strong history in the event after finishing second in last year’s C.V. Whitney finals. The victory earned Las Monjitas a $100,000 prize.
MLB Spring Training (Feb. 24 and 25)
Four MLB teams – the Washington Nationals, Houston Astros, Miami Marlins, and St. Louis Cardinals – returned to The Palm Beaches for Spring Training. FITTEAM Ballpark of The Palm Beaches kicked off its spring season with the Nationals taking on the Astros – a rematch of the 2019 World Series – while Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium opened with the Marlins’ taking on the New York Mets. In 2019, Spring Training provided a substantial economic impact with over 270,000 fans making their way to a game in Palm Beach County.
Winter Equestrian Festival (Feb. 26)
Winter Equestrian Festival, one of the largest and longest-running equestrian events in the world, takes place at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington. The horse show sees only the best riders of their class – Olympians, adult amateurs, juniors, and children – representing 52 countries and all 50 states.
The Honda Classic (Feb. 27)
The Perfect Week wrapped up with The Honda Classic having its youngest champion in the event’s history. 21-year-old Sungjae Im won the tournament which marked his first PGA Tour victory. Im clinched a $1.2 million prize for his efforts.
For more information about all the outstanding sports events and facilitlies in Palm Beach County, visit www.palmbeachsports.com.