Tiger Woods of the U.S. team hits out of a bunker on the third hole during the second round of the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Royal Melbourne Golf Course, in Melbourne, Australia, on Friday, Nov. 18, 2011.( AP Photo/Andrew Brownbill) (AP)

MELBOURNE, Australia — The Americans kept the lead in the Presidents Cup, and they still don’t have a point from Tiger Woods.

In some of the toughest conditions ever at Royal Melbourne, Aaron Baddeley and Jason Day earned a small measure of redemption by holding on to beat Woods and Dustin Johnson on the 18th hole that helped the International team split the six fourball matches early today.

The Americans led 7-5 going into a double session tomorrow with 10 points at stake.

Woods is 0-2 for the first time ever in this event, and the first time in any team competition since he and Phil Mickelson lost their opening two matches at the 2004 Ryder Cup.

The state of his game was tough to measure, as was the case with any other player. The wind was vicious. On a sand belt course with fast greens, the most telling statistic was that 13 holes in the six matches were won with pars — a rarity in the better-ball format.

International captain Greg Norman, who knows Royal Melbourne as well as anyone, poured water on the 18th green to drive home just how hard it was. The green repelled the water down the slope, none of it absorbed in the firm turf.

“There’s probably no where else in the world where that would happen,” Norman said.

Woods was the only American without a point. His game looks fine. But the numbers of his partners are shocking.

His partnership — Steve Stricker in foursomes yesterday, Johnson in fourballs early today — has won only one hole in two matches. That came on the fourth hole early today when Woods rolled in a 25-foot birdie putt, complete with a fist pump that is rarely seen these days. The lead lasted only four holes, however, as Baddeley and Day squared the match with a par on the eighth.

“Just trying to hit the greens, that was a heck of an accomplishment,” Woods said. “Wedges weren’t holding, balls were oscillating on the greens, you’ve got to play the wind on putts. It was a tough day.”

Norman was mostly impressed with Baddeley and Day. One day after they bogeyed the last two holes and had to settle for a halve, Baddeley came through in the clutch with a tough par on the last hole — right after Woods nearly chipped in for birdie from behind the green — to help keep the International team in the game.

“I was very disappointed yesterday. I feel like I let Jason down,” Baddeley said. “So it was great to come through today and make par on the last hole.”

Baddeley made a 25-foot birdie putt on the 13th to go 1 up, and Woods and Johnson couldn’t catch up. They just didn’t have enough birdie chances and when they did, they couldn’t make them.

The north wind is considered the toughest at Royal Melbourne. The wind blows harder on links courses in the British Open, but these greens have far more slope and most are elevated. The premium is on precision, and even that isn’t always enough.

“It’s carnage on a golf course like this today,” Adam Scott said after he and K.T. Kim lost to Mickelson and Jim Furyk. “Thank goodness it’s match play, and we weren’t actually counting our strokes.

The Americans managed just fine.

Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson, the leadoff match for the second straight day, again beat Els and Ryo Ishikawa, closing them out on the 17th hole. Mickelson and Furyk also remained perfect, with Furyk making a birdie on the 17th for a 2-and-1. —