Rahm and Schauffele top the field at the 2024 Paris Olympics

Spanish golfer Jon Rahm and American Xander Schauffele, the defending Olympic champion, took the lead at the 2024 Paris Olympics Saturday heading into Sunday's final showdown for gold.

At the close of the third round, Rahm and Schauffele have a cumulative 199 strokes (14 under par), with England's Tommy Fleetwood a stroke behind.

Other golf stars are also positioned for the final battle for the coveted title at the Golf National de Guyancourt course, about 20 miles from Paris.

Japan's Hideki Matsuyama, 2021 Masters champion, shares fourth place with Denmark's Nicolai Hojgaard, both at -11, while American Scottie Scheffler, world No. 1, and Ireland’s Rory McIlroy are sixth at -10.

Chile's Joaquin Niemann also has aspirations of reaching the podium from 10th place, at nine under par.

Jon Rahm, who had started the day in fourth place, two strokes behind Schauffele and Matsuyama, had one of the best performances of the day with a card of 66 strokes (-5).

The Spanish player, Masters champion in 2023, came to take the lead alone with two birdies in a row when he reached the 14th hole, but on the next he committed his second bogey of the day at the same time that Schauffele recorded a spectacular eagle with which he overtook the Spaniard.

Rahm matched him again with a long putt for birdie on 17, and Schauffele, winner of this year's PGA Championship and British Open, barely missed a birdie on the final hole that would have made him the leader in the clubhouse.

Rahm, 29, will try his hand at capturing Olympic gold on Sunday in his first appearance at the tournament, after testing positive for COVID-19 left him out of the Olympics in Tokyo at the last minute.