Between publication of this preview and the beginning of the Omega European Masters, Keegan Bradley will have completed his Ryder Cup team with six captain's picks, and it's still not clear exactly who they will be. By contrast, following Sunday's resolute performance from Rasmus Hojgaard, it's been assumed that we know the European team, and that all 12 surnames will carry over from Rome.

There is one last chance to force Luke Donald into a change of plan and Alex Noren, twice a winner here previously, may now be in pole position to do that. Noren is a class act, a former Ryder Cup player and deadly putter whose vast experience would certainly have kept him in Donald's mind throughout his double tenure. Win again and might Sepp Straka, Shane Lowry or even Matt Fitzpatrick be in danger?

Fitzpatrick is also a two-time Crans champion and favourite to make up for last week's disappointing finish. One way or another, I still expect him to be on the team, and the sense is that Noren really can't afford anything short of a win. In fact he laughed off the suggestion that he's in the running and so did runner-up Nicolai Hojgaard, seemingly everyone in agreement that the team is all but set.

Perhaps then we should just crack on with this delightful little tournament but there is one other storyline to mention: this will be Mike Lorenzo Vera's final DP World Tour starts before he retires. He's chosen this event for his love of the course and for its poignancy, as his father passed away when he was playing here 10 years ago. Hopefully we see him make the weekend and perhaps even play really well.

The last fortnight has suggested that there's a big gap between the top and bottom of the DP World Tour, more so than the PGA Tour perhaps. First, Marco Penge and Rasmus Hojgaard were clear of third in Denmark, then it was Noren or Nicolai Hojgaard once Fitzpatrick had stepped aside at the Belfry, with only the promising Kazuma Kobori able to get amongst them while never looking the winner.

Bar Kobori, all these players were under 25/1, all favourite or close to it, and this follows on from last year when Wallace, Rasmus Hojgaard and Billy Horschel won from Crans to Wentworth. In 2023, the build-up to Rome saw Ludvig Aberg win at 16/1 in Crans, PGA Tour champion Vincent Norrman capture the Irish Open, then Ryan Fox win at Wentworth. So often in this grade, class is underlined.

That said, Cedric Gugler and Alfredo Garcia-Heredia made the top-five at enormous odds here last year and prior to that Connor Syme and Alex Bjork served it up to Aberg while inexperienced Alex Fitzpatrick bagged the first of two top-sixes. There's a volatility about Crans which makes me uneasy so while Nicolai Hojgaard and Rai were close to selection, rather than split stakes win-only I'm sticking with bigger prices each-way.

Four of the last five champions were making their Crans debuts and KEITA NAKAJIMA could be the next in line.

This former world amateur number one looked a genuine star in the making when overcoming a lack of course knowledge at the tricky, borderline absurd DLF in India last year, where Wallace once beat Crans specialist Beef Johnston in a play-off. No doubt, there are some similarities in terms of what these course demand of players, especially precision with approach shots.

Nakajima prepared for that with an eye-catching display in Singapore and last week's fourth at the Belfry feels like an even stronger clue, as he hit the ball well on his first start in over a month and finally got the putter to sing. With his short-game also sharp, it was a rounded display featuring very few mistakes outside of Friday, those rough nine holes keeping him from properly challenging in the end.

Already in his limited career, he's been second and fourth on the DP World Tour the week after a top-10 finish, and as one of the most accurate players in the field I think he'll like what he sees here in Switzerland. He's also ninth of 10 when it comes to securing a PGA Tour card, his stated goal when winning in India, and this looks a great chance to climb higher up the Race to Dubai.

Adrien Saddier is one place ahead of Nakajima and the tidy Frenchman could threaten a second win, but his ceiling has probably been reached and to be honest, getting one of those cards could do him more harm than good. That's not the case with Jordan Smith, so cruelly denied last year, and for those looking to bet in side markets, odds-against for a top-20 finish looks decent business.

In-form rookie Davis Bryant has been supported on the back of another high finish and no doubt he's of interest, but we were on at much bigger odds in weaker company a month ago, when he did the business by placing, and he's beginning to look short. That said, he's accurate, he hits a lot of greens, and his Colorado upbringing means the altitude here will be more a help than a hindrance.

Bryant though is now the same sort of price as JOHN CATLIN and his more experienced compatriot is preferred.

A winner at Valderrama, Diamond Country Club and Galgorm Castle, Catlin is clearly best suited by shorter, technical, tree-lined courses such as this one, and in actual fact even what looks a poor record in Kenya rates a positive. Every time he's played in Nairobi, Catlin has produced outstanding tee-to-green stats, but it just so happens the putter hasn't cooperated.

That club has been pretty solid in two starts since the Open and while form figures of 57-MC hardly suggest he's a winner in waiting, the first came under the kind of brutal links conditions he's never really enjoyed, and the second saw him miss the cut on the number in Denmark. Big hitters dominated there, but his long-game remained in good nick.