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By Helen Ross
PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents

MONTREAL, Canada -- Here in the largest French-speaking city outside of Paris, they would call it quantite de mouvement, and that momentum clearly belonged to the Americans on Saturday at The Presidents Cup.

Tiger Woods and David Toms of the U.S. Team celebrate after winning their match on the 15th hole during the third day Foursome matches. (Lecka/WireImage)

SATURDAY'S COVERAGE

• Scores • Foursome recaps • Four-Ball recaps • Sunday's previews

The U.S. dominated Saturday's Four-Ball and Foursomes sessions, leaving the International Team with nothing else to do but utter a collective c'est la vie and the rest of us to wonder whether an American victory on Sunday had already become a fait accompli.

Jack Nicklaus' U.S. squad started the rout by winning all five of Saturday's Foursomes matches -- which even the greatest player of them all called "pretty unbelievable." The Americans then fought back to pick up another 2 ½ points in Four-Ball that afternoon.

As a result, the U.S. Team will take a 14 ½ - 7 ½ advantage into Sunday's finale. The Americans need only three points to retain the Cup and with 12 Singles matches remaining, it's anyone's guess who might deliver the coup de grace, or figurative killing blow.

To take the French metaphors even farther, there is a sense of déjà vu to these matches. The U.S. lead is the largest since 2000 when the Americans were up 14-6 at the same point and went on to win 21 ½ -10 1/2 -- which was the most lopsided defeat in the event's history.

At the same time, the Americans know miracles can happen. Witness the U.S. comeback at the 1999 Ryder Cup where they won eight Singles matches and halved another made up a four-point deficit in singles to win 14 ½ to 13 ½ at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass.

"Tomorrow, I don't want to take anything for granted," Nicklaus said. "We have to win three points. We have to win three out of 12 matches. But they all start out the first hole even. So I want to make sure the guys tonight understand that we've got some work to do to get it done."

If the Americans play with the same savoir-faire they did on Saturday, though, the International Team is in for a difficult afternoon. Gary Player's squad could never get a pied-a-terre, or foothold, as the U.S. Team collected 7 ½ of the 10 points available.

"This morning was amazing, for us to win all five matches, never dreamed that would happen," Nicklaus said. "And to have us win ten-and-a-half out of 11 points in Foursomes, which we're not necessarily that good at, was pretty astounding for the two days."

What may have been more impressive were the comebacks in the first two Four-Ball matches of the afternoon, though.

Angel Cabrera and K.J. Choi were 2 up with five holes remaining before Jim Furyk made a prayer of a 30-footer at No. 13 to cut into their lead. Furyk's partner, Stewart Cink, then came alive with birdies on Nos. 16 and 17 to give the Americans the final lead and the eventual point.

"I don't think we sensed that our point was anymore important than the others, but having the first match come down to the wire and us end up on top, the way it happened, you know, I think that sent a message out to the rest of the guys, and everybody pulled it really strong on the back nine,' Cink said. "It means a lot for us to lead the team in that way."

Woody Austin and Phil Mickelson must have profited from those vibes, too, as they won their final two holes to halve their match with Retief Goosen and Adam Scott. Austin made a 10-footer at No. 17 while Mickelson's birdie to square the match came from 20 feet.

"At one stage, I was hoping that we had four matches that were up," Player said. "I was hoping that they would maintain that position and finish the day that way, which would have made a remarkable difference. But America, they really closed well again. Their putting was definitely superior to ours."

Nicklaus agreed that the first two matches were pivotal.

He gave Austin a pep talk on the 17th tee after he sensed the U.S. sparkplug might losing confidence -- telling him to slow his tempo down "and see what happens" just before the birdie putt. The ever-confident Mickelson then told Nicklaus he'd get him a 3 at the 18th and delivered, as well.

"I said, if we could get out of this with 1 ½ points, I'll be absolutely tickled pink," the U.S. captain said. "And all of a sudden we got out with 2 ½ points, and those 2 ½ points came right down at the end with Cink and Furyk. ...

"We don't win those two matches, it's a different story going into tomorrow. ... From our standpoint, it was a great day for us. I couldn't be more pleased."

Player will put his big guns -- Rory Sabbatini, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh and Mike Weir -- out early on Sunday in an attempt to get that quantite de movement going in the International Team's favor. Weir, Canada's favorite son, will face the world No. 1, Tiger Woods, in the day's fourth match.

"I think this will cause a lot of excitement," Player said. "Tiger is playing his very best at the moment and Mike Weir is playing extremely well this week. I think well, the odds are stacked up against us. But we saw some strange things happen at Brookline in the Ryder Cup the year Ben Crenshaw captained the Ryder Cup."

Stuart Appleby, who teamed with Vijay Singh to pick up one of the International Team's two victories on Saturday, called Sunday a "full on assault. Every player needs to find a way.

"The odds are not in our favor," he said. "We know that, and it leaves us being more aggressive and more all over it. At the same time, we don't want them to get relaxed and think, well, we can just flop it across the line. ... So we need to put pressure on early so make the rest think there's something going on up front."