IT is not just the North-East’s golfing fraternity excited to have some of the sport’s best players appearing at Close House this week as European Tour chiefs think the region has what it takes to help the sport grow.

A lot has been made of the fact that it will be first time in 45 years that the British Masters has returned to these parts of the UK, but it is also a significant amount of time since top golf was held here in any capacity.

It was 15 years ago when Miles Tunnicliff won the final Great North Open to have been held at Slaley Hall, when tournament prize money dropped to around the £900,000 mark. Two years earlier Lee Westwood, Close House’s current Tour pro, claimed the title.

A youthful Henrik Stenson and Ian Poulter were among the Tour stars to have played in the Seve Trophy at The Wynyard Club in 2005 when Seve Ballesteros and Colin Montgomerie’s teams went head-to-head in a Ryder cup style showpiece.

But this year’s British Masters should be something else. With a prize pot of £3m attracting major winners such as Rory McIlroy, Danny Willett, Sergio Garcia and Graeme McDowell, it’s Close House’s time to shine in the spotlight.

And the European Tour’s championship director Rory Colville is convinced the beautiful setting on the outskirts of Newcastle between Heddon-on-the-Wall and Wylam will do just that.

Colville said: “Particularly as the British Masters had been off schedule until recent years, we have had a lean period of tournaments being in the UK. As soon as the British Masters came back it was a great fit to bring it back to the North-East.

“We put out that 10,000 tickets were up for grabs for free for the Thursday and we saw those go in 35 minutes and that was a massive statement. That’s streets ahead in terms of how soon they went ahead in previous years.

“We are keen on trying to attract a new audience to golf, that’s part of our new mission statement, and with this region having so many sport mad people we are trying to do that here.

“We have had the Hero Challenge, we have exciting facilities all around Close House and bars to try out golf equipment and to have some fun with lots to do with it.”

When the British Masters was held at the Northumberland Golf Club in 1972 it was former Open champion Bob Charles who won it by edging out a young Greg Norman.

Could this year be just as exciting? Colville said: “You need the big names as well as the location and we have got them here. We are delighted with who we have announced and who will be playing.

“We have added major champions to the field and they have kept coming along. It says a lot for the North-East that they were keen to play here. Our player relations team have worked closely with them, there’s a good prize fund, the history of the British Masters has helped … and a very good course means they have been keen to come.”

Colville was also hugely appreciative of the work Westwood, who was chosen to host the event, and Close House’s owner Graham Wylie has put into making sure the preparations have gone to plan.

He said: “Close House has been fantastic from the moment we came to look around. They have been wholly committed to make the Colt Course fitting for a championship like this one.

“They have helped create space around the holes for some of the infrastructure we needed, they have had a huge appetite for hospitality here and spectator tickets. We have had to work with them. They have helped us with the promotional campaign and Graham Wylie has been a fantastic ambassador for it.”