Tiger Woods, left, puts his arm around teammate David Toms during the fourballs matches at the Presidents Cup. The United States led by seven points after Saturday's matches in Montreal.

Montreal ? Phil Mickelson showed Woody Austin how to stay dry, and the Americans blew the International team out of the water Saturday in the Presidents Cup to build the largest lead in seven years.

The United States pitched a shutout in five alternate-shot matches in the crisp morning, then turned back an International rally with one of its own to split the afternoon fourballs and build a 141â2-71â2 lead going into the 12 singles matches today.

Mickelson and Austin combined to birdie their last two holes to steal a half-point, Tiger Woods recorded two blowouts with different partners, and Stewart Cink made all the clutch putts to turn a loss into another point that filled the scoreboard with American red numbers.

It now appears that for the second time in three weeks, the Sunday chase for a cup will be anticlimactic. Woods essentially wrapped up the FedEx Cup at East Lake before the weekend arrived, and only the greatest comeback in Presidents Cup history will keep this event from turning into a snoozer at Royal Montreal.

“It’s not over,” International captain Gary Player said. “But things don’t look too good. The egg is not sunny-side up.”

Mike Weir and Ernie Els had the only easy time in the afternoon for their team, and the deflating day ended with Vijay Singh curling in a four-foot par putt that kept another International team from a collapse.

The only drama today could come from Woods playing Weir in the fourth match, Canada’s biggest golf star against a global icon.

“Mike Weir has nothing to lose,” Player said. “It would be a phenomenal day in his career if he can beat Tiger.”

U.S. captain Jack Nicklaus nodded his head and clapped his hands with each point moving the Americans closer to their first outright victory on the road in the Presidents Cup and their first in any cup since winning the Ryder Cup at The Belfry in 1993.

Mickelson provided the most entertaining moment when his ball caromed off the hill and into a shallow spot in the water left of the 15th green. Austin, his partner in the fourball match, walked over to look at the situation and shrugged his shoulders as if to say, “Your turn to give it a try.” A day earlier, Austin lost his balance trying such a shot and wound up face-first in the water.

On the next hole, Retief Goosen holed out from a deep bunker as he and Adam Scott went 2 up, but Austin made a 10-foot birdie on the 17th, and Mickelson halved the match with a 20-foot birdie on the final hole.