ST. LOUIS — World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler revealed after the BMW Championship that he had spent the tournament battling hand, foot and mouth disease, a contagious viral illness more commonly associated with young children.
The illness provided a surprising explanation for Scheffler's relatively ordinary performance at Bellerive Country Club. Despite dealing with painful blisters and difficulty gripping his golf club, the two-time Masters champion chose to compete rather than withdraw.
Scheffler finished the tournament at 7-under par and tied for 12th after closing with a 2-under 68 on Sunday.
Scheffler became sick after a dominant victory
The timing of Scheffler's illness was particularly frustrating.
He became sick Monday night, just one day after delivering one of the strongest performances of his season. Scheffler had won the FedEx St. Jude Championship by eight strokes, appearing to enter the FedExCup playoffs in outstanding form.
Instead, his health deteriorated heading into the BMW Championship.
Scheffler said the illness affected him almost immediately. The blisters on his hands made one of the most basic requirements of professional golf — gripping the club — painful.
"To start the week it was pretty painful to grip the club," Scheffler said after Sunday's final round.
Why gripping the club became a problem
Hand, foot and mouth disease can cause fever, sore throat and painful blister-like sores on the hands, feet and inside the mouth or throat.
For an elite golfer, symptoms affecting the hands can be especially disruptive.
Scheffler relies on precise control of the club throughout every shot, and even small changes in grip pressure can affect the swing. The pain also meant he could not prepare normally between rounds.
He said he had to prioritize rest instead of following his usual workout, practice and warm-up routines.
He considered withdrawing — but refused
Scheffler acknowledged that withdrawing from the BMW Championship had been suggested.
In hindsight, he admitted that pulling out might have been the smarter decision. But his competitive instincts pushed him in the opposite direction.
"If I was smarter, maybe I would have pulled out," Scheffler said, explaining that he was playing well enough coming into the event that he wanted to give himself a chance to compete.
Scheffler also described his reluctance to quit as both a strength and a weakness.
He said he has never been someone who wants to withdraw from a tournament once he has started, particularly in the middle of competition. That stubbornness ultimately kept him on the course despite his illness.
His performance improved as the week continued
The illness appeared to affect Scheffler most severely at the beginning of the tournament.
After an over-par opening round, he produced three consecutive rounds in the 60s. He closed with back-to-back 2-under 68s and finished at 7-under for the championship.
Although a tie for 12th would normally be viewed as another strong result for almost any professional golfer, it was below the standard Scheffler had established during the playoffs.
His recent victory in Memphis had raised expectations that he would contend for another title in St. Louis. Instead, his illness made simply completing 72 holes a significant challenge.
Scheffler says he is beginning to recover
By the end of Sunday's round, Scheffler said his condition was improving.
His hands felt normal again, although his throat was still bothering him. He also realized he had nearly shaken hands with fellow golfer Cameron Young after the round before remembering that he was still dealing with a contagious illness.
Scheffler said he was not yet 100% healthy and planned to use the time before the next tournament to rest.
That recovery period could prove particularly important because the PGA Tour season is approaching its conclusion.
Focus now turns to the Tour Championship
Scheffler enters the Tour Championship as the No. 1 player in the FedExCup standings, but the format means he will not receive a starting-strokes advantage.
The current system gives all 30 qualifiers an equal starting position, with the lowest 72-hole score winning the Tour Championship and the FedExCup.
That makes Scheffler's health especially important.
Rather than spending the days before the Tour Championship trying to make technical adjustments to his golf game, he will have to focus primarily on recovering from the illness.
His BMW Championship performance demonstrated that he can remain competitive even when he is far from full strength. But winning at the highest level requires more than simply surviving four rounds.
Scheffler's biggest priority now is getting healthy.
After a dominant eight-shot victory in Memphis, an unexpected battle with a children's illness disrupted his momentum in St. Louis. Yet his decision to continue competing, despite painful symptoms and limited preparation, allowed him to produce another top-15 finish.
The bigger question now is whether a few days of rest will be enough for the world's top-ranked golfer to return to full strength when the season's biggest finale begins.
Also Read: Trump Threatens 50% Tariffs on Canadian Cars and Steel