There aren't enough motivational ploys in the world to bail the Americans and captain Tom Lehman out this time.

The last time the United States trailed 10-6 after two days at the Ryder Cup was 1999 at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. On that Saturday night, U.S. captain Ben Crenshaw shook his finger at the assembled media just before departing and said, ``I'm a big believer in fate. I have a very good feeling about this.''

Just in case, he also had a few secret weapons in reserve. Back at the team room, Crenshaw showed his team a video featuring golf aficionados Canadian Pamela Anderson and the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders (who knew?) pleading with the lads for a win.

Not quite as saucy, but every bit as inspirational, apparently, was an appearance by then-presidential candidate and close pal George W. Bush, who read William Barret Travis' letter from a besieged Alamo with this powerful kicker: ``victory or death.''

Not quite as powerful, but every bit as nausea-inspiring were the shirts Crenshaw dressed his team in the next day. They were burgundy coloured and dotted with portraits of victorious U.S. teams from the past six decades, a design BBC commentators said reminded them of pepperoni pizzas.

Thus stoked, Lehman, a player on the 1999 team, went out in the first of the day's dozen singles matches and devoured Englishman Lee Westwood, 3 and 2. In quick succession, the Americans won the next five matches _ steamrolling three of the seven rookies that European captain Mark James foolishly left on the bench the first two days _ en route to the greatest comeback in Ryder Cup history.

``What made '99 so special, what made it so possible, was that the first five or six matches all got going so well so early,'' Lehman recalled.

``We don't have to win the first six matches tomorrow to have a chance, but you have to get some momentum going. You need to see a lot of red on that board and a lot of red early with your team,'' he added. ``Those kind of things carry the team.''

Given his central role in the PGA Tour's bible study groups, racy videos were probably out Saturday night. Lehman does have George Bush on the guest list, but it's George H.W. Bush, who's been touring the course the past two days in a golf cart.

``He's been invited,'' Lehman said, ``but I think he's maybe leaving.''

Most important, perhaps, what the Americans don't have this time around is a European captain as clueless as James was in 1999. Current Euro boss Ian Woosnam has played everybody on his team at least twice, and each has returned the favour by contributing a half-point or more.

``We had three rookies that had not played before, and they happened to draw the top three Americans at the time in Tiger Woods, Davis Love and Phil Mickelson,'' Scot Colin Montgomerie said. ``So it wasn't 10-6; it was 10-9. This is very different. This is 10-6.''

Actually, it's more like 12-6 or worse, since Lehman has allowed rookies Brett Wetterich and Vaughn Taylor and his own captain's pick, Scott Verplank, out of the doghouse only once. On top of that, veterans Mickelson, Chris DiMarco and even David Toms have been playing like, well, like dogs.

But Lehman wore his usual straight face when he read off Sunday's singles lineup, saying, ``I feel like we have a chance to carry momentum all the way through the lineup, and then with the last few guys, we have a chance to close it out.''

That makes you wonder what Lehman has been watching the past two days here, since slots eight through 12 are occupied, in order, by Taylor, Wetterich, Mickelson, DiMarco and Verplank.

About all Woosnam would say specifically about the Americans' order was, ``I'm sure Tom has gone out with his strategy, and I'm very pleased with the draw, actually.''

Why not? Through 16 matches, Woosnam has made exactly two mistakes, and both were decisions better left to the players and their caddies.

He persuaded rookie Henrik Stenson to hit a 4-iron Friday on one shot, which the Swede promptly parked on the top of a TV tower, but recovered to make an exceptional par. On Saturday, he tried to talk Paul Casey into hitting three-iron at the 213-yard, par-3 14th, but the Englishman went with a four-iron instead and knocked it into the hole for an ace that closed out his match against Stewart Cink and Zach Johnson.

``I should caddie for someone,'' Woosnam laughed. ``I'd make more money that way.''

Or else, come close of light Sunday, he could simply sell the shirt off his back.

Five years after ``The Battle of Brookline,'' Golf Digest magazine asked members of the 1999 team what they did with their keepsake. Few could remember, but Lehman acknowledged the one he stored in a box in his closet was a replacement.

``The one I wore I threw into the crowd,'' he recalled. ``The guy who caught it put it on eBay. I don't know what he got.''

More than any sane person would bet on the Americans' chances of duplicating the near-miracle finish of seven years ago. Bet on that.