Scottie Scheffler has revealed that he played through the BMW Championship week at Bellerive while battling hand, foot and mouth disease, and the world No. 1 admitted the illness affected both his preparation and his grip on the club.
The symptoms began on Monday, the day after Scheffler won the FedEx St. Jude Championship by eight strokes, and he said the condition left him dealing with blisters on his hand and throat. Even so, he still managed to complete four rounds and finish tied for 11th after an over-par opening round and three rounds in the 60s.
Scheffler: “It was a poor decision, but I fought”
Scheffler said he knew the smart move might have been to withdraw, but he wanted to see if he could get through the early part of the week and keep his momentum going.
“If I was smarter, maybe I would have pulled out, but I was playing so good I felt like if I could knock it out quickly and just get through the first couple rounds I would still have a chance,” he said.
He added: “I really just did my best to try and battle and it maybe was a poor decision playing, but I've never been one to try and quit.”
That line says a lot about the mindset that has taken him to No. 1. Scheffler is plainly a competitor who does not like stepping away, even when his body is giving him reasons to slow down.
The condition made even the basics difficult
The issue was not just discomfort. Scheffler said the illness made gripping the club difficult, which in golf can change everything from practice to contact to confidence over the ball.
He also had to alter his workout and practice routine during the week, which is never ideal in the middle of a major event run. “I've never been one to ever pull out of a tournament, especially in the middle of it,” he said, before adding: “That's really frustrating for me.”
Those comments underline why his finish deserves more credit than the final position alone might suggest. A tied-for-11th result after illness, altered preparation and an over-par start is a strong effort by any standard, particularly after a win by eight strokes just days earlier.
What comes next
Scheffler said on Sunday that he was starting to heal up, which will be a relief after a week that tested his ability to compete and recover at the same time. He also said: “So I definitely didn't want to do that going into this week, even though it was suggested.”
For the rest of the field, the bigger takeaway is simple: even when Scheffler is not at full strength, he is still capable of posting a result inside the top 15. That is one more reminder of why the No. 1 ranking carries so much weight heading toward the TOUR Championship.
