[Gateway]

Phil Mickelson had us going there for a while, too. He had us thinking that a 30-year-old Woods had finally met his defining opponent in the form of a righty who plays lefty and packs a powerful southpaw punch.

Mickelson had won two straight majors and three of nine. He had consistently outplayed Woods within the only context that counts in Tiger's world: Grand Slam events.

And then the 72nd hole at Winged Foot happened. The cruel forces of fate happened. Woods had missed the U.S. Open cut, had missed a major cut for the first time as a pro, and yet through his TV set he saw a Sunday opening far wider than the 18th fairway, this as Mickelson lost the eye of the Tiger between a tent and a tree.

Woods saw his chance to drive Mickelson's charge into the ground like a tee, to put an ocean of distance between himself and any ambitious challenger who figured Tiger might never be the same otherworldly force after the death of his dad.

So this British Open became Woods' declaration of dominance, his letter of intent. He reminded his competitors and the golfing public that he has but one rival, now and always:

Jack William Nicklaus.

Tiger had the Golden Bear's records taped to his bedroom wall for a reason. Nicklaus will be the one to inspire him, not Mickelson or Ernie Els or Sergio Garcia.

It's strange how this all worked out. After losing his father at the same age that Tiger lost his, Nicklaus reaffirmed his greatness by winning the 1970 British Open. Thirty six years later, Woods won his third Open championship — matching Nicklaus' total — before sobbing in the arms of his caddie, Steve Williams, and then in the arms of his wife, Elin.

"After my last putt," Woods said, "I realized that my dad's never going to see this again. And I wish he could have seen this one last time."

Earl Woods saw it enough to go to his grave believing his son would someday break Nicklaus' record of 18 major titles. Tiger has 11 and counting. With a good 15 years of heyday left in his bag, Woods has already equaled the Grand Slam victories claimed by Walter Hagen, and has beaten Gary Player and Ben Hogan by two, Tom Watson by three, and Arnold Palmer by four.

Sooner rather than later, Woods will pass Bobby Jones and his 13 major titles, and then he'll see nothing but daylight between himself and the Bear. Now major No. 19 looks like a question of when, not if.

Woods landed in this position by schooling the mystery course at Royal Liverpool, by junking his cherished weapon — the driver — and giving the field a lesson in course management it will never forget.

"He would have been very, very proud," Woods said of his father, the man he called his coach, his mentor, his best friend. "He was always on my case about thinking my way around the golf course and not letting emotions get the better of you, because it's so very easy to do in this sport. Just use your mind to plot your way around the golf course, and if you had to deviate from the game plan, make sure it's the right decision to do that."

Earl Woods wanted a careful thinker on the golf course, not some wild, John Daly-esque slugger. So Tiger used his driver all of once in four rounds, grabbed the lead by staying clear of trouble, and struck the ball with his irons as cleanly as he ever has.

His luck was the residue of his design: that magical, mystery eagle from the fairway Friday was the result of a beautifully executed 4-iron shot.

Woods dropped into prevent defense on Sunday, using the par-fives to keep all comers at a safe distance. Nothing could stop him. Not another Masters-like charge from Chris DiMarco, who was grieving the loss of his mother. Not Tiger's playing partner, Sergio Garcia, who was tougher as a teenager dueling Woods at Medinah than he's been ever since. And not those maddening camera phones that kept knocking Tiger off his ball.

Woods finished the day as he started it: undefeated when holding the Grand Slam Sunday lead. He tried too hard to win this year's Masters for his dying father, and then he arrived at Winged Foot too rusty to honor Earl Woods' memory with the ultimate Father's Day gift.

In the end, Royal Liverpool was the right place at the right time to pay tribute to Earl. "He was out there today keeping me calm," Tiger said. "I had a very calm feeling the entire week."

So Grand Slam order was restored. Tiger Woods reminded millions of witnesses that he only has one true rival — the Bear with the Golden standard that is 18.

Award-winning columnist Ian O'Connor is a regular contributor to FOXSports.com