“It’s been a while since I’ve felt this good”: Rickie Fowler is up for the challenge at the US Open championship

Heading into the third round of the 2023 US Open with one stroke lead over Wyndham Clark, Rickie Fowler is in contention to win the major event this week.

Fowler, who turned pro in 2009, is yet to win a major event. However, following his blistering performance in the opening round of the US Open, he is experts' favorite to win the event this week.

Rickie Fowler is up for the challenge, with all the positivity. Speaking at a press conference, Fowler said:

"Yeah, the fans have been great here. I feel like, especially yesterday as the round went on, just kind of more and more energy with, as I continue to go more and more under par. So, I'm looking forward to the weekend. It's been a while since I've felt this good in a tournament, let alone a major. It's going to be a challenge but I'm definitely looking forward to it."

Heading into the weekend as the #USOpen leader is a new experience for Rickie, but he's definitely looking forward to the challenge. https://t.co/l0kYrjFtqR

Rickie Fowler settled at the top of the leaderboard after the inaugural round on Thursday, June 15. He played an astounding round of 62 to tie with Xander Schauffele, who played a bogey-free opening round.

However, after the second round, Schauffele slipped down to third place while Fowler maintained the lead with an even score of -10.

Rickie Fowler's odds picks for the 2023 US Open

Rickie Fowler was added to the top pick to win the US Open this week after posting a resounding round of 62 on Thursday, heading into a stacked weekend with a one-stroke lead. According to Caesars Sportsbook, he is +330 in the 2023 US Open odds picks, second to four-time major winner Rory McIlroy, who currently secures the third position on the leaderboard.

McIlroy tied up with opening-round leader Xander Schauffele following Day 2 with a scoring deficit of under eight.

After the second round, Wyndham Clark (13-2) and Xander Schauffele (4-1) are other contenders to win the 2023 US Open. With odd points of +650, Scottie Scheffler is another experts' favorite to clinch the trophy this week.

Here are the best bets, and odds points for the 2023 US Open after the second round, according to Caesars Sportsbook:

Rory McIlroy +300
Rickie Fowler +330
Xander Schauffele +500
Wyndham Clark +600
Scottie Scheffler +650
Dustin Johnson +1000
Harris English +2200
Min Woo Lee +2500
Cameron Smith +3500
Tony Finau +6000
Sam Bennett +10000
Brooks Koepka +12500
Viktor Hovland +15000
Bryson DeChambeau +22500
Jon Rahm +30000
Sam Burns +35000
Gary Woodland +35000
Denny McCarthy +35000
Collin Morikawa +42500
Si Woo Kim +50000
Justin Suh +50000
Brian Harman +50000
Joaquin Niemann +100000
Sahith Theegala +100000
Dylan Wu +100000
Eric Cole +100000
Tyrrell Hatton +100000
Keith Mitchell +100000
Patrick Cantlay +100000
Charley Hoffman +100000
Matt Fitzpatrick +100000

Following the conclusion of the second round, Harris English settled in fifth position, followed by LIV golfer Dustin Johnson, who tied up in sixth place with Min Woo Lee.

Scottie Scheffler tied for eighth place with Sam Bennett, who turned pro in May, with a score of -5.