Eddie Pepperell is aiming to finish a season of progress in style when he takes his place alongside the European Tour’s best in Dubai today.

Only the top 60 in the rankings get an invite to the World Tour Championship, so just teeing up at the Jumeirah Golf Estates is an achievement for the Abingdon golfer.

It puts the 23-year-old in a glittering field with the likes of Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose.

And while the stature of the event may not quite compare with the US Open, in which Pepperell played last year, the Frilford Heath player is relishing the chance to sign off his second year on tour with a strong showing.

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He said: “It doesn’t match a major I don’t think, but it’s an event which, come the first tee shot, you can feel confident and satisfied knowing you’ve played some good golf and go from there.

“It’s a reward and an opportunity to finish the year with a bang.”

Pepperell reached Dubai thanks to a very strong second half of the season, with half a dozen top-ten finishes.

The most recent came on Sunday with tenth place in the Turkish Airlines Open, which saw him climb to 50th in the European Tour standings and a career-best 157 in the world rankings.

It all means Pepperell flew to Dubai in an upbeat mood, although there are areas of his game in need of a last-minute tweak.

He said: “I’m fairly confident. However, I realise my preparation before the event will be extremely important.

“Particularly with regards to my swing, which felt non-existent at times in Turkey.

“The positive is that my putting returned to where it was at a few events ago and I holed some really nice putts in Turkey.

“So, if I keep that up and improve my swing a little bit, there’s no reason I can’t shoot four sub-70 rounds.”

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