Rory Sabbatini and Trevor Immelman were 2 up with three holes to play when Austin hit 6-iron into 6 feet on the tough 16th for a birdie, then holed a 15-foot birdie on the next hole to square the match. With the pressure on, Austin’s 5-iron from 193 yards on the 18th just cleared a ridge and settled 5 feet for the hole.

After Sabbatini made his birdie from 8 feet, Austin closed out the match with his third straight birdie.

That kept the score tight going into a pivotal round Saturday, with five matches in the morning and five in the afternoon.

It was embarrassing for Austin, sure, but it brightened an otherwise dreary day of clouds and International blue numbers on the board. The Americans went home with broad smiles, and Austin was laughing with them.

Even the International team joined in.

“Hey, Woody,” Singh said to him as they passed each other in the interview room. “The Russian judge gave you an 8.”

All but forgotten by the plunge was another day of superb play from Austin, a 43-year-old former bank teller who has never played in a team event and is relishing every minute. He delivered the key putts in a halve on Thursday, and he was spectacular even soaking wet on a chilly afternoon, making eight birdies when his team needed them all.

It was the birdie he was trying to make that brought Austin so much attention.

The tees were moved up on the 14th hole so that it played 293 yards, and Austin pulled his tee shot just into the hazard. Sabbatini was on the green, David Toms already was in the water, and Austin figured he had no choice but to try to get somewhere near the green for a shot at birdie.

Slide show   Week in Sports Pictures Pain on the skating rink, flying high on the hardwood, upsets on the football field, and more. more photos

“I knew deep down I probably couldn’t pull the shot off,” Austin said. “I was doing OK until I stepped on the rock. And once I stepped on the rock, I lost my balance.”

He was falling backward, then turned his body and went for the belly flop.

“I don’t think I look any worse than I always do,” Austin said.

But on a more serious note, Austin was never more proud of himself for the way he responded. Theirs was the final match. Toms and Austin had talked about the importance of salvaging something, and Austin delivered.

“I’ve never putted that good under those circumstances. But let’s face it,” he said. “I’ve never been in those circumstances before.”

MORE FROM GOLF

Golf Section Front

McPherson leads Tour Championship Westwood wins Dubai tourney, money titles Brooks wins Pebble Beach Invitational Peter Senior wins Champions Tour Q-school Latest golf videos Latest player news, rumors and more Tracking Tiger: News, features and more Tiger's triumphs: Recapping all Woods' wins Vote: When will Tiger win his 15th major? Vote, discuss: Best major of 2009? Golf Section Front   Add Golf headlines to your news reader: