Adam Scott says the International team can take a huge boost after proving doomsayers wrong with a stirring first day fightback against the powerhouse Americans in golf's Presidents Cup.
Written off by many from the outset, rookie captain Nick Price's Internationals looked headed for widely predicted oblivion early before mounting a stirring fightback to trail by just 3.5 to 2.5 after the opening four-ball session on Thursday.
While behind, the rally means it's the Internationals - including Australians Scott, Jason Day and Marc Leishman - who take momentum into day two at Muirfield Village golf Club in Ohio.
The Internationals were trailing in all six matches when a timely near-90 minute rain delay came to their aid and they took advantage of the momentum breaker as they came out swinging on the back nine.
They were able to pull out two victories, the first coming when Jason Day drained a 20-foot birdie putt on the last hole and the second from South African duo Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen.
Day and Canadian Graham DeLaet surged back from three-down through six holes to come up trumps 1 up over Hunter Mahan and Brandt Snedeker while the South Africans were too good for Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley, coming from two down through seven to win 2 and 1.
"I think what we showed today is that there's plenty of heart on this team," said Scott, who won three of the last four holes with Japanese rookie Hideki Matsuyama to snatch a half point against Bill Haas and Webb Simpson.
"I don't think spirits were low when we sat in the team room in the break, but for everyone to go out and rally, some guys to pull out wins, other guys halves, and even the matches we lost came closer all of a sudden was huge.
"I think we should take a lot out of that.
"We were in ordinary shape for a while, and 3.5 - 2.5 isn't a big deal and if we win the session tomorrow we are neck and neck."
However, the visitors are far from out of the woods against Fred Couples' Americans, a vastly stronger team on paper, as they pursue only the second victory for their team in the 10th staging of the biennial contest and the first on US soil.
They still need to find a way to excel in the foursomes (alternate shot) format starting on day two.
Since their lone outright win in 1998 the Internationals have been obliterated overall in alternate shot, earning just 18.5 points compared to the USA's 46.5.
International captain Price has stuck with the same teams from day one for the alternate shot.
"It has generally been very hard for us in foursomes," Price admitted.
"But I think we have 12 wonderful ball strikers here. I'm not going to lose faith in those teams. I really think that they are all ready to take their games to the next level."
Leishman's Presidents Cup debut didn't go the way he would have liked as he and Argentine partner Angel Cabrera were destroyed 5&4 by world No.1 Tiger Woods and Matt Kuchar.
Friday pairings (Foursomes): Phil Mickelson/Keegan Bradley v Jason Day (Aus)/Graham DeLaet (Can), Bill Haas/Hunter Mahan v Ernie Els (RSA)/Brendon de Jonge (Zim), Steve Stricker/Jordan Spieth v Branden Grace (RSA/Richard Sterne (RSA), Webb Simpson/Brandt Snedeker v Angel Cabrera (Arg)/Marc Leishman (Aus), Matt Kuchar/Tiger Woods v Louis Oosthuizen (RSA)/Charl Schwartzel (RSA), Zach Johnson/Jason Dufner v Adam Scott (Aus)/Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn).
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