A week after his 40th birthday Clarke captured his second victory of the season at the KLM Open in Holland – and did it by a commanding four-stroke margin.
Paul McGinley, his cup team-mate in the last three matches, finished runner-up after a storming 64, but conceded that the day belonged to Clarke.
The Ulsterman's 66 for a 16-under-par total came too late for him to force his way into an automatic cup spot, but Faldo hands out two wild cards next Sunday and Clarke and Paul Casey are now big favourites for them.
Not that Clarke, who has been on each of the last five sides, is taking anything for granted yet.
After a hug and a high-five with his two sons Tyrone and Conor – it is the first time they have been present for one of his wins – he reflected on a superb week's work.
"It's nice to win knowing that I had to play well and then actually doing it," said the man who was an inspiration to the last European side by winning all his three games just six weeks after his wife Heather died of breast cancer.
"I had two weeks to try to impress Nick. The first is out of the way and I seem to have done that.
"I don't know if I have done enough, but I'm going to Gleneagles in better shape and hopefully he will take notice."
Clarke began the last day three clear, but there was a shock in store for him because after just three holes playing partner Henrik Stenson had turned that deficit into a one-stroke advantage. He started with a hat-trick of birdies whereas Clarke went over the green on the long second and ran up a bogey six.
However, Clarke birdied three of the next four and with the Swede making a mess of the seventh and ninth – bogey and double bogey – he started the back nine four clear and for good measure birdied the next three holes.
McGinley, who resigned as an assistant to Faldo to try to play himself in, took solo second when Stenson bogeyed the last.
"It was a good effort, but all credit to Darren," McGinley commented. "There are only two picks, so it's a tight situation, but I'm going to have to win (in Scotland) to give myself a chance.
"As everybody knows, it's about winning. I've no complaints– I've not played well enough, but there's one more event and I'll certainly begiving it a go."