PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. -- Before his first four-ball victory in the Presidents Cup was secured late Friday with Jim Furyk tagging along, it was difficult to assess whether it was the increasing weight of expectations, the spasms in his back or the not-so-gentle jabs and barbs from teammates that were giving Tiger Woods the most grief.

One thing is certain, however; no matter what the impediments, Woods finds a way to overcome them.

Seeking to halt an 0-6 slide in Four-ball competition, Woods “put on a show,” according to his partner, Furyk, making seven birdies on his own ball, including six in an eight-hole stretch, as he and Furyk registered a 3-and-2 victory over Stuart Appleby and Mark Hensby in the day’s final match.

“When he doesn’t hit an unbelievable shot, it’s a shock,” said U.S. assistant captain Jeff Sluman. “He really brought all of his game out there today. He was very determined.”

Woods had to be.

First of all, he’s had to endure endless questions about his inability to win better-ball matches, not only in the Presidents Cup, but also in the Ryder Cup, where he is a combined 7-11-2. His teammates haven’t helped. To say that they have nearly drawn blood with the needles they’ve been sticking in him isn’t far off base.

“No subject is off base. But he gives it out as much as he gets it,” Sluman said.

Then there was the little matter of knowing that he might have to carry the pairing, since Furyk was sporting sore ribs and was a question mark as to how much he could help the world’s No. 1 player, even if he did make it to the first tee. It turned out that the steely Furyk, no wilting flower, eventually loosened up enough to assist Woods down the stretch. In some discomfort much of the day, Furyk sank a 6-foot birdie putt on No. 16 that closed out the stubborn Aussies after they won the previous two holes to cut a 4-down deficit in half.

Of course, U.S. captain Jack Nicklaus, an incorrigible needler, couldn’t help but ask Tiger at the end of the day, “How can you let poor Jim Furyk carry you?”

Nicklaus had to allow that Woods proved to be no less tough and determined than Furyk to play through the kind of aches that he began to experience when his back began to spasm on the sixth hole.

“He’s a tough kid, very strong,” Nicklaus said of Woods. “The bottom line is that nobody wants to win more than Tiger does. His record may not be the best, but he gets pumped up to play.”

Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk won 3 and 2 over Stuart Appleby and Mark Hensby. (Badz/PGATOUR/WireImage)

Woods received ice treatment and some soft tissue massage both during his round and during a weather delay. Physiotherapist Tom LaFountain, who got Furyk through Thursday’s foursomes round with continuous work, assisted Woods.

“It was just a matter of keeping it loose and pain-free to where I could swing,” Woods said. “Tom did an awesome job of getting me to where I could swing the golf club, which was not exactly easy to do today.”

As he often does, however, Woods made it look easy. He birdied each of the three par-3 holes on the front with precise iron shots, none that ended up more than 11 feet from the hole. He also reached both par 5s on the inward nine with middle irons to set up birdies wrapped around a 2-foot birdie putt to win the 11th hole.

Though Furyk didn’t make a birdie until the 10th hole -- and then converted three -- Woods was quick to point out that breaking his 0-6 losing string was a team effort. “We gelled very well and made some nice birdies there and put a lot of pressure on them,” Woods said.

Asked about the status of his two injured anchormen, Nicklaus shrugged.

“They are playing at 7:40 tomorrow morning,” he said. “I don’t need to say anything more than that.”

And Woods doesn’t have to hear the ribbing anymore.