Scottie Scheffler capped an otherwise ordinary week at the BMW Championship with a tie for 12th place, but the performance was anything but typical given the health battle he revealed Sunday. The world No. 1 said he was dealing with hand, foot and mouth disease, a viral illness that causes painful blisters on the hands, feet and in the mouth or throat.
Scheffler, who opened the tournament with a 2-over 72—his worst 18-hole score since the U.S. Open in June—said the illness took hold Monday night after his eight-shot victory at the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis.
"I got sick Monday night," Scheffler said. "That was probably the most frustrating part."
He described the condition as painful, particularly when gripping the club.
"So to start the week it was pretty painful to grip the club," he said.
Despite the discomfort, Scheffler chose not to withdraw, a decision he attributed to his stubbornness.
"I think that's part of my stubbornness, probably. That's probably a strength of mine and a weakness at times," Scheffler said. "I've never been one to ever pull out of a tournament, especially in the middle of it. That's really frustrating for me."
He added that withdrawing "was suggested" to him, but he felt that if he could "knock it out quickly" he would still have a chance. Scheffler prioritized rest over his usual practice and warm-up routines throughout the week.
After the opening 72, Scheffler rebounded with rounds of 65, 68 and 68, finishing at 7 under for the tournament. He recorded 13 bogeys over the four days and hit only 65% of the greens in regulation. He was still feeling the effects by Sunday, noting his throat was "still bugging" him, but his hands felt "normal."
"But I'm proud of how I fought," Scheffler said. "Feel like I'm starting to heal up."
He even nearly forgot about the contagious nature of the illness when finishing his round with Cameron Young.
"I actually almost caught myself shaking hands with Cam on 18, I would have felt really bad," Scheffler said.
Scheffler's performance at the BMW Championship came a week after his dominant victory at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, where he closed with a 4-under 66 to win by eight shots—the largest margin in the tournament's 68-year history at TPC Southwind. That win was his 21st on the PGA Tour, all since 2022, and ended a nearly seven-month title drought.
His victory in Memphis also ensured he would remain No. 1 in the FedEx Cup standings through the BMW Championship, earning him a $23 million bonus. With that secured, Scheffler said in hindsight it might have been prudent to skip the BMW, given that all 30 players who advance to the Tour Championship only need to win at East Lake to capture the FedEx Cup.
Looking ahead to next week's Tour Championship, Scheffler said he does not plan to work on any part of his game, focusing instead on recovery.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that hand, foot and mouth disease is a virus that spreads easily through bodily fluids and most commonly affects children under 5. Adults often catch it from infected children, and Scheffler has two children under the age of 3.
At the BMW Championship, which concluded Sunday at Bellerive Country Club, Scheffler's tie for 12th was headlined by his recovery rounds. He was among the final groups on Sunday, paired with Cameron Young, and briefly moved inside the top 10 after three straight birdies before finishing with a bogey from a fairway bunker.
Meanwhile, the tournament itself was won by a player not mentioned in the reports reviewed, and the field's other results—including the second-place finish of Si Woo Kim and the tie for third by Sam Burns and Alex Noren—were noted in some accounts.
Scheffler now turns his attention to the Tour Championship, where the top 30 players in the FedEx Cup standings will compete for the season-long title.