LOS ANGELES — Rickie Fowler has been waiting for this for what must seem like an eternity.

It’s all there for him. Everything he thought he would seize a bunch of years ago and didn’t sits at his feet again.

All that separates the 34-year-old California native from hoisting hardware following his first career major championship are 18 pressure-packed holes Sunday in the final round of the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club.

Fowler, who shot a cautious even-par 70 Saturday in the third round is tied with Wyndham Clark at 10-under for a one-shot lead over Rory McIlroy entering the final round. Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 ranked player, who has been lurking throughout the tournament, is 7-under and three shots back.

Still not out of it are Harris English at 6-under and Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele at 5-under.

Fowler, who’d been clutch all day, opened the door for Clark when he made a three-putt bogey on the 18th hole, falling to 10-under and losing the lead.

It was one of Fowler’s few hiccups on the day and he remained positive after the round.

“Through three rounds, we’re in the spot that we want to be in, and tomorrow is when the tournament starts,” Fowler said.

Fowler called the missed short par putt on 18 “just a bummer.”

“It would be nice for that one to go in,” he said. “[But], it really doesn’t matter, having the lead, being one back, two back. You’re going to have to play good golf tomorrow. Bummer to have that one slip away, but tomorrow is a whole new day, and like I said, that’s kind of when the tournament really starts.’’

Fowler did not shy away from the gravity of the moment, knowing what a win would mean for his career.

“Obviously, it would be huge,’’ he said. “It would be great. Especially being here in Southern California, having a lot of people, family and friends that are out here this week. We have a chance tomorrow. I’m not scared to fail. I’ve dealt with that. We’re just going to go have fun, continue to try to execute, leave it all out there, see where we stand on 18.’’

Asked about his nerves, Fowler said: “This is the best I’ve felt all year and definitely in a long time. We all feel nerves at times, depending on certain shots or circumstances. This is the best I’ve felt, let alone in a normal tournament but especially a major, and I would say really ever in my career.’’

If Fowler is able to close the deal, he will have gone wire-to-wire for the victory, which is a stressful ride. But it’s a ride he not only has been waiting for his entire career, but also one he is poised to take.

Consider that, since 2011, Fowler has 12 top-10 finishes in major championships, a number that includes eight top-five and three runner-up finishes — the most close calls of anyone in that span.

It was “a little bit of a grind out there today,’’ Fowler conceded.

“I still hit some good shots,” he said. “Had to accept some bogeys there in the round early on, but I feel like we did a good job of kind of staying present, moving forward, and like I said, still a lot of quality shots.’’

He has had a calm about him all week, a chill behind his sunglasses — reminiscent of his friend Phil Mickelson during the 2021 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island.

“The mind can wander and you can kind of do whatever between shots,’’ Fowler said. “It’s nearly impossible to go out there and be dead focused for four to five hours. The big thing for me is kind of just zeroing in, narrowing things down and trying to get very precise and knowing exactly what I want to do when I’m about to hit a shot.

“I think I’ve done a lot better with my process leading up to shots and understanding there are negative thoughts or that there is trouble for missed shots out there, and just accepting I may not hit it perfect, but this is where I’m going to try and hit it and this is what I’m focusing on.’’