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By Helen Ross
PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents

MONTREAL, Canada -- For the third straight day, The Presidents Cup featured a dramatic shift in momentum and Saturday morning it was the Americans' turn to celebrate.

Tiger Woods (shown) and partner Jim Furyk won their first hole Saturday morning and never looked back. (Cannon/WireImage)

The United States won all five Foursomes matches to take a commanding 12-5 lead into the afternoon Four-Ball session at Royal Montreal Golf Club. The Americans have now won 11 of the 12 points available in the alternate shot competition.

U.S. Captain Jack Nicklaus called the sweep "pretty unbelievable, really." Particularly after the Internationals won four of six Four-Ball matches on Friday and halved another to draw within two points of the Americans.

"Not what I would have expected," Nicklaus said. "After yesterday, the guys turned it around and played great."

Nicklaus remembers, though, the 2003 Presidents Cup where the International Team responded to a 4-1 U.S. win in Foursomes with a 6-0 sweep in the next Four-Balls the following day.

"We need to keep our guard up," he cautioned.

Trying to recapture the momentum his team had Friday, International Captain Gary Player sent three of the same teams out in the afternoon's Four-Balls -- Adam Scott with Retief Goosen, Ernie Els with Mike Weir and Vijay Singh with Stuart Appleby.

One omission, however, was the South African duo of Rory Sabbatini and Trevor Immelman, who are 1-2 as a team this week.

"It was a hard decision," Player said. "I tried to go more with what happened yesterday to encourage them to think along those lines."

Nicklaus only kept two teams together -- the excitable Woody Austin and Phil Mickelson, who got the morning rout going with a 5-and-4 win over Goosen and Appleby, and Steve Stricker and Hunter Mahan. Sitting out are Zach Johnson and Scott Verplank.

"We needed to come out today and put a little pressure back on them," said Stricker, who teamed with Mahan to beat Sabbatini and Immelman 2 up and win their second point for the U.S. Team Saturday morning.

"I think we made a little bit of a statement and we need to do the same thing this afternoon."

Mickelson and Austin have produced 1 1/2 American points in Foursomes, halving their match with Singh and Weir and then drubbing their International opponents Saturday morning. The Americans won three holes early with pars and never looked back before Austin drained a 3-footer at No. 14 to end the match.

"This golf course is fun," Mickelson said. "You can make birdies on this course. I have a great partner here in 'Aquaman.' He's a leader an I've enjoyed playing with him."

Austin created the lasting image of The Presidents Cup to date when he fell face-first into the lake trying to hit a shot out of the water by the 14th green. Playing in his first Presidents Cup, the 43-year-old has won 1 1/2 points with Mickelson and 2 points overall.

"I said Thursday can't play with a better person," Austin said. "We've cracked each other up for five days and I can't wait to do it again."

Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk rebounded well from Friday's 5-and-4 loss to Singh and Appleby, which was the most lopsided ever for the game's No. 1 player. The Americans made five birdies and defeated Adam Scott and Els 4 and 3 on Saturday morning.

"We played better today," Tiger Woods said. "We went out there and made some birdies. Adam and Ernie had opportunities to make putts on the front nine to get to all square, but just didn't make (them). Then on the back nine, we made some birdies."

"We couldn't explain it, I know that," Furyk said of Friday's defeat which the Internationals led from the outset.

"I think sometimes that puts a little fire under your read end. It's nice to come out, after feeling so bad yesterday with the finish, to ... get a win for the team. (To) put another point up is great."