LEE Westwood is revelling in his role as the tournament host for this year’s British Masters, but the honour comes at a price. His telephone bill has never been as high.

“Lee’s constantly on the phone persuading people to play,” explained Graham Wylie, whose Close House venue will stage the British Masters between September 28 and October 1. “He can be pretty persuasive when he wants to be.

“I would imagine we’ll be able to start confirming some names in the next few months, so I can’t really say very much at the moment. We’re pretty confident it’ll be the best golf field the North-East has ever seen.

“We’ve heard some very positive things from a lot of people, we’re just not really in a position to be able to confirm things yet. Actually, I think Graham McDowell’s going to be playing – he was on the phone booking rooms the other day anyway.”

Westwood’s links to the likes of Danny Willett and Matt Fitzpatrick – the trio shame the same agents – mean they should be guaranteed participants, while it is hoped the British Masters’ other ambassadors – Ian Poulter, Justin Rose and Luke Donald – will also support the European Tour’s return to the North-East.

It all adds up to one of the biggest sporting events the region will stage all year, and even six months out, interest could hardly be stronger. Earlier this month, Sky Sports released 10,000 free tickets for the opening day of the tournament – they were snapped up in just half-an-hour.

“That was a massive thing for us,” said Wylie. “When Lee put Close House forward as his preferred venue, I think, in fact I know, there were people involved on the Tour who were sceptical. Their concern was always about whether we would be able to attract the crowds.

“I was telling them, ‘Look, this is the North-East, you don’t have to worry. It’s not just football up here – just look at how successful the Rugby World Cup was at St James’ Park’. I think they were persuaded, but you always want to be proved right.

“The fact that 10,000 tickets went in less than an hour just proves how much of an appetite there is for top-class golf here. Even the Tour chiefs couldn’t believe that. At this stage, we’ve sold more tickets than any other (British Masters) tournament.”

Tickets for all four days are now on general sale, with an early-bird period of reduced prices due to end at the end of next month.

Preparations are also underway on the course, with European Tour officials having a requested a few changes in order to guarantee a stiff enough test for some of the leading players in the world.

“You’re not talking radical changes, but there are a few things we’re doing,” said Wylie. “We’ve lengthened the course a bit with six new tee boxes, and we’ve modified three of the greens.

“The main change you’ll notice is the rough. We’re going to be letting it grow much longer than we normally would in order to narrow a few of the fairways. It might mean our members lose a few more balls than usual, but it will make for a fantastic test.

“We’ll be shuffling around the order of some of the holes a bit – our fourth will be the 18th – and I can’t wait to see how the course plays. It won’t be the longest course that the pros have ever played, but I think it will be a thinking player’s course.

“You won’t be able to boom a driver 300 yards down the fairway, and if the wind gets up, that will obviously provide its own test too.”

The four days of competition promise to be memorable, but they only form part of what will be a week-long series of events.

The action will get underway with a televised floodlit par-three tournament on the Tuesday night that will see eight players going head-to-head in knock-out matches.

There will be a pro-am on the Wednesday to raise funds for Wylie’s charitable foundation that supports under-privileged and vulnerable children in the North-East, and the course will host a huge tented village that will stage live music events on an evening.

“It’s more than just a four-day golf tournament,” said Wylie. “We’re hoping there’ll be something for everyone, and even if you’re not a hardcore golf fan, you should be able to come along and have a great time.

“We’ve been working hard on the logistics – there’ll be plenty of car parking and there’ll be a shuttle bus to and from the course running every 15 minutes from Newcastle Central Station.

“There’s also still a chance for people to get involved by volunteering. We still need people to carry scoreboards and things like that, so you could find yourself getting up and close and personal to the golfers inside the ropes.”

  • For details of volunteering opportunities, or to find out more about tickets, visit the European Tour website at europeantour.com