LET’S face it, golf wouldn’t have been golf in the North-East without a bit of rain. Fittingly the early morning drizzle that was around to greet the opening tee shot of this year’s British Masters didn’t hang around for long.

In fact when Graham Wylie, Close House’s owner and extremely successful businessman, envisaged what the opening day of the biggest event to be held in his back garden would be like, it would have been like this – to a tee.

Make no mistake, this picturesque course in the Tyne Valley couldn’t have looked any better as major winners such as Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia and Martin Kaymer walked up and down the fairways of the Colt Course officially opened by Wylie in 2011.

Only briefly must Wylie, looking on proudly with his Close House cap and clothing alongside former Newcastle and England striker Alan Shearer, have feared the worst. He is a positive guy and whatever he targets tends to come off. This was another of those occasions.

The man who made the majority of his £180m fortune by selling his stake in the software giant he helped set up, Sage, and became one of the country’s most successful owners in jumps racing, had the look of a satisfied man as he wandered through the land he owns.

He looked on proudly as Englishman Rob Coles struck the opening tee shot at 7.30am through some light drizzle and up the hill into some overcast conditions. By the time McIlroy headed out 40 minutes later, the clouds had started to break and light had peaked through.

Wylie’s wish for the sun to shine on him on day one of the British Masters at Close House had come true – and everything else followed suit; from the high standard of golf through to the swathes of spectators and packed grandstands.

“It’s been absolutely brilliant, there’s been thousands here, I’m so glad we came up early, couldn’t have asked for a better day weather wise either. It’s been brilliant to see some great golf up in this area,” said Michael Crowe, from Hartlepool, who had ventured up to Northumberland for his first taste of tournament golf and to get a glimpse of McIlroy and Graeme Storm.

His pal Jon Kegans said: “Think I came over-dressed and I’ve been sweating all day, it’s been quality. It’s been worth getting out of bed at 5.30am for to see the big names up here in the North-East.”

By the time McIlroy, who had started at the tenth, had reached the first tee he was being watched by galleries ten deep in places; and he was not the only one. Garcia, Kaymer, Lee Westwood … most of the groupings.

His tumultuous drive up the hill on the first drew gasps from the crowds lining the fairways and sitting in the grandstand to his left as it dropped right in the middle of the fairway, some 30-40 yards further than playing partners Andy Sullivan and Matthew Fitzpatrick.

Unsurprisingly the former world No 1, who has signalled his intention to have one of the “greatest golfing careers ever” this week, went on to make one of his four birdies of the day on his way to a nicely placed three-under.

There was plenty of red on the leaderboard throughout, even though there were plenty of aspects of the course which caught out many of the players.

When McIlroy repeated his trick of out-distancing his partners at the sixth with another thunderous drive, Sullivan pulled his drive into the light rough on the left.

By the time he had reached his ball, surrounded by spectators, he puffed out his cheeks, took a drink of water, and said: “Anyone else struggle to get up that hill?” And still birdied it!

The hills and undulations, not to mention the long rough for those who do miss the fairways, are the biggest killer on the Colt Course. Just ask Shane Lowry.

The Irishman double bogeyed the downhill fourth when he dragged his shot left off the tee. His ball was plugged when it was eventually found by the marshal and spectators, but then dropped his recovery shot into the hazard before the green to blight a decent two-under 68.

The atmosphere at Close House, where design work only started ten years ago when McIlroy made his British Masters debut at The Belfry, was such that nothing was going to detract from its special day.

It is 15 years since the European Tour last held a full European Tour event at neighbouring Slaley Hall, and it was 30 years earlier than that when the British Masters last visited the North-East … when former Open champion Bob Charles won it at the Northumberland Club.

Close House provided the perfect setting for its comeback. Father and son Jeff and Craig Pratt, from Rowlands Gill, were delighted to have witnessed a little bit of history at a venue dating back 250 years.

“It’s world class, can you say that? I think you can. It’s world-class, it really is,” said Jeff, a member at Garesfield, who regularly travels up from London like this week.

“From the tented village, to the course and the players on show, it’s world class. Lee Westwood obviously got his contacts book out to get all these guys along, Graham has put everything into making it a success and it already is regardless of the next few days.

“It’s also brilliant to be from the North-East because it really feels like a true North-East event, where everyone comes together and talks to each other with smiles on their faces. It’s been a great atmosphere and let’s hope we can get something like this again. That’s the next stage. It’s fantastic.”

What happens over the next few years at Close House is for a future debate, first and foremost there is another three days of top class golf to savour … so embrace it.