Phil Mickelson produced an eagle and 10 birdies to bring favourites America right back into contention for the World Cup in Mexico today.
Only joint 13th of the 24 teams at halfway and six shots adrift, Mickelson and Toms recorded the score of the week, a 15-under-par 57, in the third round fourballs.
Yet it still was not enough to move them into the top three. Japan's Toshi Izawa holed his pitch to the 340-yard 13th as he and Shigeki Maruyama took over at the head of a field chasing a million-dollar first prize.
With the Jack Nicklaus-designed Vista Vallarta course continuing to be taken apart in the calm conditions, the pair blasted a 58 to reach the 30-under-mark of 186.
Fiji, with Vijay Singh and world number 295 Dinesh Chand, are second and defending champions South Africa - represented this year by Rory Sabbatini and Tim Clark - two back.
England's Justin Rose and Paul Casey were joint top after Casey's 15-foot eagle putt on the eighth helped them to an outward 29. The two youngsters - Rose 22 and his partner, a stand-in for Nick Faldo, 25 - finished the day with a 62, but such is the standard that they stayed in fifth place.
Alongside them are Scots Paul Lawrie and Alastair Forsyth.
Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley, winners for Ireland in 1997, also shot a 62 but will resume seven adrift of Japan in 10th place.
Welsh pair Ian Woosnam and Bradley Dredge managed only a 67 and are now 10 back and joint 15th.
Toms, himself called off the subs bench in September when Tiger Woods chose to miss the event, said: "I was virtually a spectator most of the day. What a round of golf.
"Phil rolled the ball great. That was what was missing the first two days.
"We are now back to where we had hoped to be and where we were expected to be. I think we will have a great shot at it."
Mickelson, struggling to speak this week because of a throat infection, was not taking all the credit, though.
"I was out of a couple of holes and David kept our momentum going. That was key," he said.