by Nick Totten, europeantour.com
Superior Golf & Spa Resort will play host to the final Challenge Tour event on European soil this week as a high quality field tees it up in the inaugural Kharkov Superior Cup.
This will be the first event held in the Ukraine and it marks the start of an important close to the season where bigger prize funds will make for plenty of excitement as players jostle for position and that all important top 15 on the Rankings which guarantees a European Tour card in 2014.
Headlining the field fresh off his second win of the season at the Open Blue Green Côtes d'Armor Bretagne will be Andrea Pavan, having just won by four strokes in a dominant display throughout all four rounds on the French coast.
The triumph propelled the Italian into second place in the Rankings and closer to long-time leader Brooks Koepka, who has been plying his trade on The European Tour of late after three wins earlier in the season.
Pavan will hope to overhaul the American with some more strong performances, as will anyone teeing it up in the coming weeks as they look to make their move with more prize money available.
Alongside Pavan in the Ukraine will be a further 11 tournament winners from the season so far, with Dylan Frittelli (18th), Jens Fahrbring (20th), Brinson Paolini (21st) and Daniel Gaunt (26th) the only ones to have triumphed in 2013 and not be part of the current top 15 in the Rankings.
They will hope to add further success in the Ukraine to assure themselves of European Tour action next season, while current third placed man José-Felipe Lima will be looking to pick up a first win of the year.
The Portuguese is the highest placed player without any silverware in 2013, but with two runner-up finishes at the Mugello Tuscany Open and the Finnish Challenge his best results in a very consistent season, he will no doubt be looking to go one better this week.
There will be plenty of other big names in the field, such as 2010 Challenge Tour Number One Alvaro Velasco who will hope for a strong finish to the year in order to climb up from 53rd in the Rankings.
While the professionals look to claim the €32,000 top prize on offer, the amateur interest this week will be provided by local sporting hero and former AC Milan, Chelsea and Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko, who will tee it up in at least the first two rounds.
