EDDIE Pepperell is well down the field after an erratic opening round in Johannesburg.

The Abingdon golfer shot a four-over-par total of 76 in the BMW South African Open held at Glendower.

Pepperell opened with a birdie, but then had three successive double bogeys.

His next ten holes yielded three pars, three birdies and four bogeys.

At six over he was in danger of ending bottom of the leaderboard, but birdies on each of the final two holes gave him an outside chance of making the cut.

However, he is ten shots off the lead and will need a much-improved display when he tees off at 5am tomorrow morning.