Xander Schauffele will start his WGC-HSBC Champions title defence in the final group on the back nine as the American forms a stellar threeball at Sheshan International Golf Club.
He secured his first European Tour title in Shanghai after defeating compatriot Tony Finau in a dramatic play-off.
The World No 9 will be the lowest-ranked player in his group for the first two rounds of the final World Golf Championship event of the season, with four-time Major champion and World No 2 Rory McIlroy and 2013 US Open winner Justin Rose – ranked World No 8 – playing alongside him at 10:50am.
They are the only three players in the top 10 of the World Rankings but there are plenty of former Major champions on show in China.
Former Masters winners Bubba Watson and Danny Willett will begin their first round at 10:10am at the 10th alongside Matt Wallace.
Francesco Molinari, 2018 Open Championship winner, and South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen – who won the event eight years earlier – are grouped with Ryder Cup star Ian Poulter at 10am on the back nine, while Paul Casey starts 20 minutes earlier with Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama and American Jordan Spieth.
Oosthuizen is one of nine South Africans in the field including fit-again Christiaan Bezuidenhout, in-form Erik van Rooyen and Presidents Cup hopeful Justin Harding.
Sunshine Tour star Neil Schietekat is another Saffa looking to make the most of a spot in the elite field.
Bernd Wiesberger, who tops the Race to Dubai Rankings, begins his first round with reigning Open Championship winner Shane Lowry and Finau in the penultimate group at 10:40am, while former Masters champions Sergio Garcia and Patrick Reed are together with South Korea’s Sungjae Im at 09:30am.
Home favourite Wu Ashun plays with Spaniard Rafa Cabrera Bello and American Chez Reavie at 09:20am, beginning at the 10th, while Li Haotong gets under way at 10:20am at the same hole alongside Matthew Fitzpatrick and five-time Major champion Phil Mickelson.
