Rory McIlroy returns to the event where it all began while the European Tour returns to the North East of England for the first time in 15 years at this week's British Masters supported by Sky Sports.
Close House Golf Club in Newcastle hosts the event as top class golf returns to this part of England for the first time since Miles Tunnicliff won the Great North Open in nearby Hexham in 2002.
McIlroy was just 13 at the time but it would only be three years before he played his first European Tour event at the British Masters, turning professional on the same stage two years later.
He now arrives on Tyneside a four-time Major Championship winner and is delighted to be back as a late addition to a tournament he has not played since 2008.
"It's been a while since I've played this tournament," he said. "Happy to be back.
"I've definitely felt the enthusiasm. You can tell that a big golf tournament hasn't been here for a long time. It's a big deal and it's a big event and it's great to see the locals are getting into it and embracing it.
"You know that obviously the European Tour and Sky Sports are going to put on a great event. It seems like even just from playing in the morning Pro-Am that the crowds are going to be pretty good this week."
McIlroy's Ryder Cup team-mate Lee Westwood is playing host this week and the 28 year old believes a lot of the enthusiasm is due to the 23-time European Tour winner.
It's a big deal and it's a big event and it's great to see the locals are getting into it and embracing it - Rory McIlroy
"I'm happy to be here and happy to support Lee. He's been a good friend of mine on Tour for a lot of years," he said.
"It's great to see the turnout, not just for this tournament, but for him as well. It sort of shows the place that we all hold Lee in and the regard that we hold him in. He's been a great addition for European golf over the years and I think to see Sergio (Garcia) here and myself and a lot of the other guys show up, it speaks volumes about Lee."
The Northern Irishman has had a stop-start season due to a rib injury that flared up as he lost in a play-off to Graeme Storm at the BMW SA Open hosted by City of Ekurhuleni in January.
McIlroy will play this week and next at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship before shutting down for the season but he is confident he can return stronger than ever.
"I'm taking a ten-day holiday after the Dunhill," he said. "Then, once I get back, doing quite a bit of testing sort of 19th and 20th of October. Then I'll start to execute the plan that we have going forward.
"So I'll take a few days off and rest, sort of enjoy myself a little bit and then I'll get back inside. I don't anticipate hitting golf balls until the end of November but, depending on how I feel, it could be earlier than that.
"I'm looking forward to just getting myself right, getting myself healthy, and then being able to practise as much as I want and feel prepared going into each and every tournament instead of feeling like I'm playing catch-up all the time.
"I feel like I've highlighted areas I've needed to work on anyway. If I play well these next two weeks, that's just a bonus, basically.
"Hopefully I can show something these next two weeks and play okay and go into my off-season knowing what I need to work on and being excited about that and excited about getting into the process and coming out next year and playing better than I have this year."
