EDDIE Pepperell gets his first taste of a World Golf Championship event tomorrow.

The Frilford Heath member’s world ranking inside the top 50 earned him entry into the star-studded HSBC Champions event in China.

Pepperell, winner of the British Masters earlier this month, has been drawn with Spain’s Raf Cabrera Bello and Patrick Cantlay, from the United States, in the opening two rounds.

The trio begin their first round at 3.05am (BST).

Entry to the exclusive series, which features seven of the world’s top ten golfers at Sheshan International Golf Club, near Shanghai, is a major step forward for the golfer from Abingdon.

He said: “I travelled to it as first reserve before, but this will be my first WGC.

“The quality of the fields are as strong as you can get.”

The restricted line-up for the lucrative event does not have a cut after two rounds.

It means every player gets a slice of the $10m prize fund, which will help keep Pepperell among the game’s elite for the climax of the 2018 season next month.