The DP World Tour heads to the Alps this week to stage the European Masters at the jaw-droppingly beautiful venue of Crans-sur-Sierre.
The views from this course are magnificent and it has hosted a Tour event since 1972. Seve Ballesteros redesigned the track in 1999 to make it more challenging, with run-off areas added around the greens.
Ryan Gerard, who finished third in the Tour Championship on the PGA Tour on Sunday, is the highest-ranked player in the European Masters field. The American, making his Crans debut, is 11/1 to take the title and 25/1 for the first-round lead.
Gerard's compatriot, Patrick Reed, is also in attendance, on offer at 25/1 for outright glory and 40/1 to top the leaderboard after round one.
The Hojgaard twins - Rasmus and Nicolai - are also prominent in the betting. The action starts at 6.30am UK and Ireland time on Thursday. Sunny, calm, pleasant conditions are forecast for the entire event.
European Masters First-Round Leader Tips Summary
Best Bet - Keita Nakajima @ 40/1
Alternative Bet - Matt Wallace @ 25/1
Alternative Bet - Tom Vaillant @ 66/1
Best Bet: Keita Nakajima @ 40/1
The Nexo Championship in Scotland the week before last provided an exhibition in ball-striking from Japanese ace Keita Nakajima, who relentlessly churned out greens in regulation despite difficult conditions.
Fourth place there followed third place in the Scottish Open in July, so it was a shock to the golf betting community when Nakajima failed to make the weekend in the British Masters last week. It is probably wise to forgive that failure and support Nakajima at Crans-sur-Sierre.
It was wet and wild at The Belfry last week, with some spells of awful weather, and Nakajima was not the only top-class player to suffer. With a sunny and calm forecast at Crans, expect this supremely accurate operator to slip back into the groove he found in the Nexo.
Nakajima is scheduled to tee off at 8am local time on Thursday (7am UK) and can take advantage of the early moisture the greenkeepers will put into the dancefloors. Expect the former world number one amateur to pound fairways and greens, and he could end the day atop the leaderboard if carrying a warm putter.
Alternative Bet: Matt Wallace @ 25/1
The 2024 Crans champion, Matt Wallace, will have high hopes of repeating the trick two years later. The Londoner found some excellent form in the States before just missing out on the FedEx Cup playoffs, then finished 15th at The Belfry last week.
Swinging with confidence and proven at a course where he has twice finished second, Wallace can be expected to start strongly from the group immediately behind Nakajima, and the pair could end up jostling for the early lead.
Alternative Bet: Tom Vaillant @ 66/1
A place in the final group can be relaxing, with nobody behind you, finishing your round as dusk and dinner approaches, and Tom Vaillant may end up as a late mover in the leaderboard.
Vaillant, who won twice on the Alps Tour in 2022, is 12th on the DP World Tour greens-in-regulation statistics and playing well enough to make an impact at Crans. The Frenchman was 10 under par for the weekend of last year's European Masters.
Key Tournament Stats
Crans-sur-Sierre is a 6,830-yard, par-70 course.
There are three par-fives at Crans, ten par-fours and five par-threes.
Jamie Spence and James Morrison are the course-record holders, both having carded a round of 60.
There are six course winners in the field, but only one multiple champion - Thriston Lawrence.
Only three of the world's top 50 are in attendance - Ryan Gerard, Patrick Reed and Nicolai Hojgaard.
Only two of the last 10 European Masters were won by a DP World Tour maiden.
Read more golf betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
