There was a special handover at 10.30am this morning in front of the Royal Lytham and St. Annes clubhouse.

Waiting in front of the clubhouse, and host venue for this week’s 141st Open Championship was R & A CEO, Peter Dawson.

A gleaming white Mercedes couple, bearing German licence plates, drove up and getting out of the back seat was defending champion, Darren Clarke.

In Clarke’s possession was the most famous of all golf trophies – the Claret Jug.

Clarke then returned the original Claret Jug to Dawson but confessing he would dearly love to be handed the trophy again this week.

Darren Clarke returns the Claret Jug to Peter Dawson. (Photo - www.golfbytourmiss.com)

“I had tears in my eyes and really didn’t want to give it back,” said Clarke.

“It’s been a good year and the year has gone amazingly fast. But it’s been an honour and a priviledge for me to represent the R & A and bring take the Claret Jug all over the worldf, as I have done.

“It’s been wonderful seeing the reaction from people in all sorts of different countries, and the Claret Jug has been to a few countries it hasn’t been before.  But letting people see it, it’s one of those iconic trophies that people see on television, but never actually see physically.

“But a lot of people now have pictures of the trophy and they all enjoyed it as much as I did.”

Of course, there was a photo shoot of the handover but with Clarke reminding Dawson how to hold the trophy for such occasions.

“Now Peter, you showed me twelve months ago how to hold the Claret Jug and this is the way to hold it,” said Clarke.