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Tommy Fleetwood returned to England with a silver medal after his Olympic campaign in Paris. The star golfer narrowly missed out on gold by a single stroke but still secured a podium finish and his first Olympic medal.
Golf reporter Todd Lewis had a comical idea for the silver medal, suggesting Fleetwood repurpose it as the ultimate ball marker. Lewis wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) handle that he is trying to convince the Englishman to use his Olympic prize as one of the most braggadocious golf markers ever.
Here's what he wrote:
"I’m trying to convince Tommy Fleetwood to use this as a ball marker at the [FedEx St. Jude Championship] this week. TBD."
Fleetwood, however, did not look thrilled by the suggestion, as evident in the photo Lewis posted.
The 33-year-old is currently in Tennessee to play the first of three PGA Tour playoff events: the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
Fleetwood narrowly missed out on a playoff with Scheffler, the world number one. Scheffler surged on the back nine, catching Fleetwood on the 18th hole. As Fleetwood played the final two holes, Scheffler could only watch. A bogey on the 17th and a par on the 18th gave Fleetwood a final score of -18, the second-best Olympic golf score ever, securing the silver medal ahead of Hideki Matsuyama.
Tommy Fleetwood discusses agonizing Olympic finish
Fleetwood required a birdie on either of the final two holes, or at least a par to force a playoff, to have a chance at the gold medal at the Paris Olympics. However, that didn't transpire, and Scottie Scheffler walked away with the gold.
Silver is a prestigious achievement, but there's no denying the sting of coming so close to gold. Fleetwood acknowledged this in a Golf.com interview while still expressing pride in his performance.
“There’s part of me that’s disappointing, of course, but at the same time, I never dreamt that I would be an Olympic medalist. I’m still unbelievably proud and happy with the way the week went. I was proud of the way I played today. And yeah, I enjoyed it so much. I take that away from it. This was an incredible atmosphere to play in front of this week and to be a part of," he said.
Fleetwood confessed to a recent lack of contention for wins, making his strong performance even more enjoyable. Having secured a medal, he expressed immense pride in becoming an Olympic medalist.
