Michigan’s Oakland Hills Country Club, which has hosted a multitude of major golf tournaments and was selected as the setting for two upcoming U.S. Women’s Opens, went up in flames Thursday morning.
Two local fire departments have been called to help control the fire in the property’s clubhouse, which was still blazing as of Thursday afternoon, according to Detroit’s WJBK-TV. The fire’s cause is not yet known and no injuries have been reported so far. The historic building, located in Bloomfield Township, contains “irreplaceable” memorabilia from the approximately 100 years it had been hosting golf tournaments, according to the Associated Press.
The country club is set to host the U.S. Women’s Open in 2031 and 2042 on its “legendary” South Course, Detroit News reported. These tournaments would be the first large-scale championships held at the club since the course reopened in 2021 after a $12.1 million restoration effort. The 2031 event would also be the first women’s tournament the club has hosted since 1929.
The country club, first founded in 1916, finished building its clubhouse in 1922—the same year it hosted the Western Open, which at the time was considered a major championship, according to the club’s website. It went on to host its first U.S. Open just two years later.
Daniel Mears/Detroit News via AP
A spokesperson from the Bloomfield Township Fire Department told Detroit news station WJBKthe fire, which started around 10 a.m., is so massive all the firefighters from the department and additional firefighters from the Southfield Fire Department are at the scene.
The fire started in the clubhouse’s attic, eventually causing the roof to collapse. Early reports say much of the central part of the historic building has been destroyed. This is where the main dining room and a ballroom that the club used for large events are located.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Update 02/17/22, 2:45 p.m. ET: This article was updated with details about the fire and background information on the Oakland Hills Country Club’s history.
