Scottie Scheffler revealed late Sunday that he struggled during competition at the 2026 BMW Championship while dealing with the impact of hand, foot and mouth disease. Scheffler, who completed his tournament at 7 under, played with blisters in his throat and on his hands, making it difficult to grip his clubs.
Still, the world No. 1 fought his way inside the top 15 in the penultimate event of the season and the second leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Scheffler called himself stubborn, citing that characteristic and the importance of the BMW Championship as reasons he played all four rounds rather than withdrawing from the tournament to heal for next week's Tour Championship. He powered through and improved as the week progressed, registering three straight under-par rounds after an opening 72.
"I got the hand, foot, mouth," Scheffler said. "So, you get blisters on your hands and in your throat and on your feet. So, to start the week, it was pretty painful to grip the club. 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.
"But I think that's part of my stubbornness, probably. That's probably a strength of mine and a weakness at times. Like, I've never been one to ever pull out of a tournament, especially in the middle of it. That's really frustrating for me. So, I definitely didn't want to do that going into this week, even though it was suggested. But I'm proud of how I fought.
"Feel like I'm starting to heal up. My throat is still bugging me pretty good, but my hands feel normal today. I actually almost caught myself shaking hands with Cam [Young] on 18; I would have felt really bad. I was like, 'Oh, my gosh, I almost forgot.' So that's good news, starting to feel better. Hopefully, the throat will clear up [over] the next couple days."
Hand, foot and mouth disease is a virus that spreads easily from person to person through bodily fluids. It most commonly affects children under age 5, and adults often catch it from infected children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Schefflers have two children, each under 3 years old.
Although he did not successfully defend his BMW Championship title, Scheffler did finish the week as No. 1 in the FedEx Cup standings, securing his place atop the bonus money distribution list. He will look for even more next week at the Tour Championship, where -- though every player will start at even par -- Scheffler's name will be among the short list of potential winners.
"Walking's fine," Scheffler confirmed. "Once you get on the course, you get the adrenaline and everything, I started to feel better. But the blisters on hands was probably the most challenging, just because it was painful to grip the club to start the week. I was prioritizing rest, so I wasn't able to work out the way I want to and practice the way I want to and even warm up for rounds the way I want to. 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."
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