I went to the British Open at St. Andrews with positive feelings that the Old Course would suit my game. The wide fairways were beneficial, but from prior experiences I knew that the greenside shots and the long putts would be crucial in managing St. Andrews successfully.

Daly's British Open Victory (1.2 mb) Courtesy of the Golf Channel

My first round score of 67 was a solid round of seven birdies and two bogies. The three hole streak on holes three through five had me excited, but I knew there was a lot of golf to be played and I just stayed focused on trying to get into the clubhouse with a sub-par round.

The second round was a pivotal round in my opinion. After I put the double bogie on the par 5 fifth behind me, I played some very consistent golf with pars on the remaining holes of the front nine, and then birdies on four of the five holes of the back nine. The birdie streak on the back nine was very significant in the winning of the tournament, since it kept me with a share of the lead heading into the weekend.

After the third round, and being four shots out of the lead, I knew Sunday would have to be a sub-par round if I had any chance of winning. I got off to a great start with a 33 on the front nine, but made things difficult for myself with bogies on 16 and 17. The saving shot of the tournament was the blast out of the Road Bunker on 17. Check out the lithograph of "The Bunker Blaster" Lithograph available in the Pro Shop area. My lie was close to the face of the bunker, and I knew I had to get it out of there or the tournament would be lost. To walk away with a bogey on 17 still amazes me today.

After Constanino Rocca made the improbable putt through the Valley of Sin, my heart sunk to my stomach. Everyone always asks what I was feeling. I tell them that the picture of mine and my wife's face tells it all. After a brief period of disbelief, I remember thinking this is still my tournament, and tried channeling all my emotions to positive thoughts.

Going ahead by two on the the first two plyoff holes, I was thinking, "Just par out and the Claret is mine." Marching down the fairway on 18 with a five stroke lead in the playoff is when I realized that I was going to be the 124th Open Champion. It is an awesome feeling to see my name listed with the great names of the past, and is an accomplishment I'm extremely proud of.