Canberra underdog Matt Millar takes on world's best at 'Showdown in Shanghai'

He is preparing for the likes of Rory McIlroy and Bubba Watson to smack their tee shots up to 80 or 100 metres beyond his longest drive at what has been dubbed the "showdown in Shanghai".

But the unassuming professional who has toiled away for the past 20 years at tournaments around Australia is unfazed by the big names or the big stage.

In fact, he says the lessons learnt from a similar event in Mexico earlier this year will help him embrace the hype and pressure of the lucrative world golf championship event.

So when he walks on to the first tee to hit the first shot of the tournament, Millar has set himself the task of making sure he sticks to his guns rather than trying to match the "big boys".

"It's easier said than done sometimes," Millar said. "But I definitely did learn in Mexico. I didn't play my best, I made a couple of decisions that didn't suit me.

"Some of these guys hit the ball so much further than me and I fell into the trap of trying to hit the ball further or playing a game that doesn't suit me.

"A lot of the guys are 30, 40 or 50 metres ahead of me. The big hitters, they're 80 or 100. But the long game isn't a game I've ever played. So it's just about being happy to do what I do normally."

Millar is in the first group to tee off on Thursday morning, joining Bryce Easton and Xinjun Zhang in starting the event.

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Phil Mickelson, McIlroy, Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia and Jordan Spieth will tee off later in the day in what many have described as "Asia's major".

Millar has been battling a back complaint, which threatened to derail his hopes of playing in a tournament he hopes can kickstart his Australian summer.

He got through the Victorian PGA unscathed last week and will use the China trip to give him confidence before aiming to qualify for the Japan Tour.

"It's different playing here when you're not used to it. It's still new to me ... I just need to worry about what I do," Millar said.