George, South Africa ? Tiger Woods, Davis Love III and the rest of the Americans could not have asked for a better start Thursday in the Presidents Cup.

It was the finish that left them dazed, disappointed and facing another deficit.

“They all want to go kick themselves in the rear end,” U.S. captain Jack Nicklaus said after the International team rallied during the final three holes in the final three matches to take a 31/2-21/2 lead.

Determined not to fizzle the way they did in Australia five years ago, the Americans were poised to take a commanding lead in the opening session of alternate-shot matches.

Woods and Charles Howell III needed only 15 holes to get their partnership off to a great start. Love and Kenny Perry hit spectacular shots and won easily.

The United States led 2-1, and it was 2-up on the back nine in the other matches.

“It could have been quite ugly,” Peter Lonard of Australia said. “Knowing we could be 5-1 down … and we can still pull it out somehow. That’s probably the most important thing.”

For the Americans, it all fell apart quickly.

First came the gutsy 6-iron from Masters champion Mike Weir, winning yet another battle of the lefties.

Canada's Mike Weir, representing the International team, tees off on the fifth hole in the Presidents Cup. Weir and Nick Price won their match against David Toms and Phil Mickelson of the United States, 1 up, Thursday in George, South Africa.

He and Nick Price were 1-down with two holes to play against Phil Mickelson and David Toms, the top American tandem from last year’s Ryder Cup.

“We needed something,” Weir said.

Facing the par-3 17th with bunkers and rough to the right and a 6-foot trench protecting the left — a difficult shot for left-handers — Mickelson turned away in disgust as his ball sailed well right of the green.

Weir took aim at the flag and Price walked off the tee clapping and shaking his fists. Price converted the birdie, then hit a nice chip to 5 feet that Weir finished off for birdie on the 18th and a 1-up victory.

Then came Adam Scott.

His swing reminds everyone of Woods, and so did the shots he hit on the closing holes.

The clutch birdie putt from 12 feet on No. 16. The tee shot on the difficult 17th that Ernie Els converted for birdie to square the match. From the 18th fairway, Scott hit a 2-iron from 265 yards that covered the flag and left his teammates in awe.

“Only two players can hit that shot,” Els said, referring to Scott and Woods.

The ball skipped just over the green, and Els hit a nice chip that was conceded for birdie and a 1-up victory over Justin Leonard and Jim Furyk.

“Ernie told me, ‘Just stay on course,'” Scott said. “And we finished strong.”

The final blow was Robert Allenby and Stephen Leaney, 2-down against Jay Haas and Fred Funk with three holes to play.

Facing certain defeat, Allenby holed a 15-foot birdie from the fringe to halve the hole and stay alive. Haas’ tee shot on No. 17 drifted into a trench, and Funk conceded after his bold play from the rough hit the rock wall and ricocheted over his head.

Haas hit his second shot into rough so thick on the par-5 18th that Funk couldn’t reach the green. They lost the hole with a bogey and had to settle for a halve.

“We pulled the rabbit out of the hat today,” International captain Gary Player said.

The good news for Nicklaus?

At least he knows his guys came to play.

That wasn’t the case in 1998 at Royal Melbourne, where a listless U.S. team fell behind 7-3 after the first two sessions and suffered its worst loss ever in any cup, 201/2-111/2.

Perry holed an 80-foot putt on No. 2, up a steep slope with a sharp bend to the right, for a birdie to win the hole. Love chipped in for birdie on No. 5.