Can Scottie Scheffler use his Olympic medal as a ball marker? Rules explored

Scottie Scheffler won the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics after securing a one-stroke victory over Tommy Fleetwood. However, he is not allowed to use his gold medal as a ball marker during his games.

The idea of using a medal as a ball marker became a topic of conversation after golf analyst Todd Lewis shared a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account, mentioning that he tried to convince Tommy Fleetwood, the silver medalist at the Paris Olympics, to use his medal as a marker. Lewis wrote:

"I’m trying to convince @TommyFleetwood1to use this as a ball marker at the @FedExChampthis week. TBD."

Recently, "Underdog Golf" provided an update regarding using a medal as a ball marker. According to PGA Tour official Mark Dusbabek, medals cannot be used as ball markers, meaning Scottie Scheffler cannot use his gold medal for this purpose. "Underdog Golf" shared this update on X (formerly Twitter), writing:

"PGA Tour rules official Mark Dusbabek clarifies that an Olympic medal can not be used as a ball marker."

While PGA Tour players are not allowed to use their medals as ball markers in official tournaments, back in 2019, Olympic curling champion Matt Hamilton used his gold medal as a ball marker while competing in the BMW Charity Pro-Am event in South Carolina.

Hamilton was part of the USA's gold medal-winning team at the 2018 Winter Olympics. The following year, he participated in the pro-am event on the Korn Ferry Tour and marked his ball with his prestigious gold medal.

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"I'm proud to be going home with a medal"- Scottie Scheffler after clinching the gold at the Paris Olympics

Scottie Scheffler was emotional after winning gold at the Paris Olympics. During the medal ceremony, while standing on the podium and listening to the national anthem, he had tears in his eyes.

Reflecting on his incredible victory, Scheffler described it as an "emotional" moment and expressed pride in taking the medal home. He said (via NBC Olympics):

"It’s emotional sitting there on the podium and hearing your national anthem, it really is. It's been a long week. It's been a challenging week. I played some great golf today, and I'm proud to be going home with a medal.”

Scheffler's win marked the second consecutive time that USA won gold in golf at the Olympics. Before Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele secured gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Scheffler has had a phenomenal season this year, winning six tournaments, including The Players Championship and the Masters in 2024, and now adding the Olympic gold to his achievements.

Scottie Scheffler had teed it up at this week’s 2024 FedEx St. Jude Championship on August 15. After the first round, he was tied for fifth place. Tommy Fleetwood and Hideki Matsuyama, who won bronze at the Paris Olympics, are also competing in the ongoing PGA Tour event in Memphis.