Rickie Fowler the 'most comfortable' he has ever felt as he leads US Open heading into final day

Is Rickie Fowler feeling the pressure? His demeanour would suggest not as he enters the final round of the US Open with a share of the lead amid his history-making career-invigorating week in Los Angeles. 

The 34-year-old, who posted a stunning round of 62 on Thursday, is tied at the top on 10-under alongside Wyndham Clark, and could have found himself in an even more commanding position were it not for a cruel three-putt bogey on his final hole.

Crowd atmosphere has been a talking point in California across the first three days, though there has been no shortage of noise for a fan favourite in Fowler as he looks to end his wait for a major crown.

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"We're in a good spot," Fowler told Sky Sports. "Playing the first couple of days and making sure you have a tee time on the weekend, the first three days yes they do mean something because it all adds up to the score but this is where the tournament really starts. Especially come the back nine of the final round.

"It's all about going out, continuing to execute and having fun out there and hitting shots."

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Fowler has found himself on the outside looking in over recent years, having seen his form decline since the brightest spell of his career between 2014 and 2019.

He believes it is for the difficulties he has faced that he has been able to attack the Los Angeles Country Club course with such fearlessness.

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"This is probably the most comfortable I've felt in a normal tournament, let alone a major," he explained. "I've been in similar positions before having been close to the lead or had chances.

"I really like this golf course, I like all the characteristics of being able to hit shots. It fits my eye, it's a fun course to play but it's continuing to firm up and get tougher. We'll pick our way around and see what happens.

"I guess in a way I'm not scared to fail, I've dealt with failure these last few years, I've been through it all and you live to see another day."

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Fowler and Clark have Rory McIlroy for company in the leading pack, with the Northern Irishman breathing down their necks on nine-under in his effort to end a nine-year major drought.

"I feel pretty good," said McIlroy. "The golf course definitely got a little bit trickier today than the first couple of days.

"Felt like I played really smart, solid golf. Hit a lot of fairways, hit a lot of greens. Sort of felt somewhat stress-free out there, if you can ever call golf at a U.S. Open stress-free.

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"Overall, yeah, pretty pleased with how today went, and feel like I'm in a good spot heading into tomorrow."

McIlroy insists he is not drawing on the experiences of his past major victories, the last of which came at Royal London in 2014.

"It's been such a long time since I've done it," he said. "I'm going out there to try to execute a game plan, and I feel like over the last three days I've executed that game plan really, really well, and I just need to do that for one more day."

Clark was critical of the decision by US broadcaster NBC to schedule the third round in the late window which forced the final competitors to finish their rounds around sunset in poor light.

"I don't quite understand it," Clark said. "Definitely Rickie (Fowler) and I had a little bit of a disadvantage on those last two holes playing in the dark.

"Every shot matters out here. And on top of it, we couldn't see [for my final putt]. So just the fact making it when we were kind of just feeling it and didn't really have the clearest of reads, yeah, there's a lot of emotion."

McGinley: Can McIlroy handle the 'mental challenge' of US Open Sunday?

Sky Sports Golf's Paul McGinley said...

"The golf course seems to be suited to him [McIlroy], but the game changes tomorrow.

"The game changes into: Can you handle victory? That's the challenge tomorrow.

"As much as this is a game of hitting a golf ball around a golf course, it's a mental challenge tomorrow on US Open Sunday.

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"And that's the biggest challenge he's going to have, more than anything else, because we're all talking about it, everybody's asking about it, he's asking himself. It's nine years.

"He's dominated in so many ways over that last nine years in the game. Winning all of these huge titles all around the world, the FedEx a few times, race to Dubai. And yet he hasn't won major championships.

"So that's a heavy weight on his shoulders. A heavy burden. Of course he wants to win, and sometimes that can get in the way.

"So his attitude tomorrow is important. He talks about a game plan, and the point of staying in the process and not getting ahead of himself is really, really important."

Who will win the 123rd US Open? Watch the final round live on Sunday from 5.30pm on Sky Sports Golf and 9pm on Sky Sports Main Event.

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