Fox and Lee got off to a slow start in their afternoon assignment, Fox entering the action after sitting out the morning four-ball (best ball) session.
Dropping the first two holes to their American counterparts, Fox and Lee fought back to draw level by the seventh hole, then took the lead with a par on the eighth.
Burns putted his team back to even footing on the 11th, before Fox put his tee shot within 1.2m (4ft) of the hole on the par-three 13th for Lee to putt them back into the lead.
That sparked a run of three straight holes won by the international duo, before splitting the 16th hole with a par saw them hold an unassailable lead with two holes yet to play.
That saw the international team take a slight edge over the day’s matches – winning four, losing three and drawing one in the only day of the event to feature two sessions – and hold a 10.5-7.5 lead, putting them in position for a famous win in Monday’s single match-ups.
The international team have only won the Presidents Cup once in 15 editions of the biennial competition, while fighting to a draw in 2003. This is the first time the Internationals have led the Americans after the completion of pairs matches on US soil.
Fox could find himself in a pressure position when he takes on two-time major winner Xander Schauffele in singles on Monday, with the pair having the last tee time of the competition.
Every player will be in action on the final day of the event, with 12 singles matches to decide it. The Internationals go in needing to win five of those 12 matches to clinch the win.
US President Donald Trump, who attended the Americans’ Ryder Cup loss last year, is expected to watch Monday at the suburban Chicago layout where Europe rallied for an epic 2012 “Miracle at Medinah” Ryder Cup victory over the Americans.
While the Internationals, who took their only victory in 1998 in Australia, hold a three-point lead, they will need to be at their best in singles, with the US team boasting eight of the world’s 11 top-ranked golfers.
Monday match-ups and tee times (NZT)
Internationals v USA
5.02am: Ryo Hisatsune (world No 67) v Cameron Young (3)
5.14am: Tom Kim (31) v Wyndham Clark (5)
5.26am: Corey Conners (55) v Justin Thomas (25)
5.38am: Nico Echavarria (61) v Scottie Scheffler (1)
5.50am: Sungjae Im (60) v Sam Burns (8)
6.02am: Christiaan Bezuidenhout (104) v Chris Gotterup (7)
6.14am: Hideki Matsuyama (27) v Collin Morikawa (11)
6.26am: Adam Scott (45) v Patrick Cantlay (28)
6.38am: Si Woo Kim (14) v Jackson Koivun (57)
6.50am: Min Woo Lee (30) v Jacob Bridgeman (20)
7.02am: Nick Taylor (85) v Russell Henley (6)
7.14am: Ryan Fox (22) v Xander Schauffele (10)
– with AFP