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After returning from a weekend vacation early Sunday morning, I was able to catch pretty much all of Darren Clarke’s final round triumph. I was impressed with the composure and complete control he elicited. It never seemed like there was an impending hiccup, and every 5 to 10-footer was confidently stroked into the heart of the cup. While it was a tremendous performance, Clarke earned his stripes on Saturday. He outperformed everyone with his course management despite challenging conditions. Sunday was simply an exclamation point, and despite an early surge from the field, Clarke was virtually uncontested along Royal St. George’s back nine.

Mickelson faded. Johnson collapsed at the par-5 14th. Nobody else managed the threaten making a charge up the leaderboard. Still, it was a testament to Clarke and his conviction.

Here’s a guy who is the prime example of a golf-lifer. He’s been a part of every golf circle, and now the congratulations are deservedly pouring in. Clarke mentioned that he received “good luck” texts from Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy before Sunday’s round. Playing partner Dustin Johnson sincerely commended Clarke on the 18th green. During the trophy presentation, tears nearly welled in Phil Mickelson’s eyes as they exchanged pleasantries. Davis Love III even made a special appearance to deliver a warm hug and pat on the back. Even from the booth, Paul Azinger hinted at wanting to stop and spend a moment with Clarke.

If you’ve watched the British Open in the past 15 years, you know that Darren Clarke has been a main fixture in the field. He’s had top ten’s in 1997, 2000 and 2001. However, in recent years, Clarke has a handful of D-N-P’s and C-U-T’s. The immeasurable personal loss of his wife in 2006 certainly played a role. Clarke was inches away from giving up the game that brought so much joy to himself and those around him. While he is not a member of the talent-laden youth movement on tour, he’s a guy who deserves to have a major championship on his resume by the time he retires for good. For similar Europeans with long track records of success but no major breakthrough–this is for them. It is most likely lights out for players like Thomas Bjorn, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Colin Montgomerie. Storied careers that have seen too many opportunities melt under the spotlight.

Here’s to Darren Clarke for putting an indelible stamp on the Open Championship. It will be his defining achievement, and a symbol of the lost generation of noteworthy golfers who may never reach golf’s ultimate summit.

Well Played Darren. See you at Royal Lytham and St. Annes 2012.

Aces are becoming a regular occurrence at Royal St. George’s. This morning, 61-year-old Tom Watson continued to infatuate the gallery with a hole-in-one at the 6th:

You may also recall American Dustin Johnson slinging this shot in for an uno at No. 16 on Thursday:

Even for a seasoned golf fan like myself, it took a second to realize who I was standing next to.

I began to size up this trim, buttoned-up figure. Was this a caddie? A fellow member of the media? Maybe just a tournament volunteer? No. This was Jason Day.

The 23-year-old Filipino-Australian golfer was very unassuming. He managed to glide into the media tent, saddled up near his caddie and contemplated his next move. You could see that he was still pretty fresh to this whole routine. Soon enough, he was ushered to a lone microphone and boxed in by about a dozen reporters. At the AT&T National, in Philadelphia, Pa. Day had just cooked up a -4 66 to spring into a 4-way tie for first. The next day, I followed Day around the course.

It was right about that time that the rest of the world started to take note of an emerging star. Little did I, or the rest of the world know, that Day would have a pair of runner-up finishes in majors midway through 2011.

Jason Day is all grown up. With a polished swing, and the Sunday swagger of Tiger Woods, he has evolved into a favorite to hoist the Claret Jug. The eighth-ranked player in the world has his eyes wide with ambition. Day has enough talent and panache to take down any challenger in his way. Don’t be surprised if he’s one of the last men standing on Sunday.