IF the fifty-somethings felt well prepared for an outing in picturesque Northumberland in search of a decent pay-day then there will be quite a few European Senior Tour golfers questioning themselves this morning.

After 18 holes of ISPS Handa PGA Seniors Championship golf, the 120-strong field certainly found out what they are dealing with after a testing day at Close House.

Some of them joked about not wanting to make the weekend after giving their calves plenty of exercise as they walked up and down, as well as across, the beautiful Lee Westwood Colt Course meandering through the Tyne Valley on the outskirts of Newcastle.

They would say that, though, wouldn’t they if they had failed to make par around the 6,641-yard Par 71 track. It had a bite, even in the idyllic weather. And, come Sunday, the fittest of them could well prevail to win the first Seniors Championship to be held on the plush Heddon-on-the-Wall complex if he can keep his game in tune too.

The weather could turn over the weekend, but the skies were splendid blue with hardly any wind as Australian Peter Fowler led the way. He was joined as the day went on by two Englishmen, Gary Emerson and Carl Mason, and a Frenchman, Jean-Pierre Sallat.

Fowler and Emerson were among the earlier groups to finish and Mason, walking off with a beaming smile around tea after a birdie at the tricky 18th, joined them on three under, 68s.

Mason, a three time winner of the Seniors Championship and now aged 61, had no problems in dealing with the inclines and never really looked back after a brilliant start.

“I made three putts in a row; I was three under after four so I was pleased because I didn’t know what to expect when I first went out there,” said Mason, whose last Seniors Championship win was in 2009.

“But for some reason it didn’t feel that bad out there when you get going, you get a respite and it really didn’t feel that bad. They said this would be worse for hills than Celtic Manor beforehand but I think the hills were worse at Celtic Manor. I enjoyed it.”

It will be that quartet who have the clubhouse lead when the action restarts for the second day. And, given the difficulties which playing on the hill can present, Fowler’s fitness and form could well prove crucial moving forward. Mason said: “It doesn’t surprise me to see Peter up there.”

While only 23 golfers from a field of 120 carded level par or better, Fowler immediately went about taming it to the best of his ability. The 6ft 3in 56-year-old, boasting 15 professional wins over a career dating back to 1997, also won the Pro-Am on the eve of the tournament, so perhaps he has taken to it more than most.

From the moment he looked up the first fairway from the tee box, Fowler made birdie on that uphill 471-yard par 5. Ken Tarling and Mark Wharton eagled the same hole, but the man from Down Under went on to record a flawless round which included birdies at 14 and 16. He closed by making par at 18 after his tee on the Par 3 left him with a 100ft fringe putt.

Fowler said: “I could always do better but I hit a lot of fairways and greens. It’s a beautiful development, in really good shape. It’s in great condition and there’s a nice ambience around the whole place. I started well which helps too.”

Fowler, Emerson and Mason hold a one-shot lead going in to day two over a six-strong group which includes Steen Tinning, the Dane who won the English Senior Open at Rockliffe Hall two years ago. Whether he is still in amongst the pack on Friday night is very much in doubt, though.

Tinning, whose tee shot at the 16th angered the injury which forced him to withdraw in Jersey last week, said: “I am struggling with my back ... the spasms were still down 17 and 18. I don’t know if I am here for very long. I will see how it feels. It cost me one shot because the second shot on 17 didn’t allow my arms to release.”

Yet he did hold his nerve at 18 to make par, where more than a third of the field carded a bogey or worse. It got the better of Matfen Hall’s John Harrison, the former Barnard Castle pro, who would have a share of the lead had he not had a disaster on the last.

He hit six-iron to the back of the green, which ended up with an even more difficult uphill chip to the one which left Swede Anders Forsbrand – and plenty others - airing his frustrations loudly on his way to a bogey.

Harrison, ending up with a double bogey, said: “I was right in between clubs on the tee. I ended up against the wall. I had a cone just behind my ball and I couldn’t move it, it was fixed in the ground. I left my chip up the bank. A four is a good score on there. It was a disappointing end after I’d hit three birdies in a row at 15, 16 and 17.”

Harrison is the North-East contender in the frame. Hurworth’s Roger Roper is tied 49th on three-over along with former Ryder Cup captains Sam Torrance and Mark James. Eaglescliffe’s Graeme Bell had a difficult day and carded 79 as did Sunderland Golf Centre’s Stephen McNally and Phil Harrison, brother of John.

LEADERBOARD

68 Peter Fowler, Gary Emerson, Carl Mason, Jean Pierre Sallat;

69 Steen Tinning, Gordon Manson, DJ Russell, Miguel Angel Martin, Peter Scott, Jorge Berendt;

70 John Harrison, Philp Walton, Jean-Francois Remesy, Mike Harwood, Terry Price, Andre Bossert, Tim Thelen, Luis Carbonetti.