EDDIE Pepperell carded a one-over par 73 at the first round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

The Abingdon golfer was one-under at the turn, before dropping shots at the 13th, 14th and 16th.

A birdie on the 17th limited the damage, but it left him in a share of 81st place, nine shots behind co-leaders Shaun Norris and Renato Paratore.

Pepperell's second round begins at 3.50am (GMT).