The reality that Scottie Scheffler completed tied for twelfth place and 7 under par at the BMW Championship is staggering, contemplating what he was dealing with all through the week.

“I got the hand, foot, mouth [disease]. So you’ve got 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,” Scheffler said when talking to the media after Sunday’s spherical.

Hand, foot and mouth illness is a contagious, viral sickness that usually impacts youngsters. Common signs are painful blisters on the fingers, toes and mouth, a fever and a sore throat. There’s no remedy, which means that signs must be managed.

Scottie Scheffler prepares to putt on the seventh inexperienced during the first spherical of the BMW Championship golf event on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) AP Photo/Jeff Roberson

It sounds like Scheffler didn’t do a nice job of managing it, given that he determined to play this weekend.

“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’d still have a chance. But I think that’s part of my stubbornness, probably,” Scheffler continued.

Scottie Scheffler appears to be like on from the seventh inexperienced during the second spherical of the BMW Championship 2026 at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Missouri, on Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (Getty Images) Getty Images

“That’s probably a strength of mine, and a weakness at times. I’ve never been one to pull out of a tournament; especially in the middle of it, that’s really frustrating for me. And so I definitely didn’t want to do that going into this week, even though it was suggested.”

He added that his throat is still bugging him, but that his fingers are feeling more regular. The blisters on his fingers were the “most challenging” component of the illness because of how painful it was to grip his golf equipment.

Scottie Scheffler said after the last spherical of the BMW that he was dealing with hand, foot, and mouth:

“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.”pic.twitter.com/Ba5JoL0sEN

— Underdog Golf (@UnderdogGolf) August 23, 2026

Scheffler deserves a ton of credit score for ending in the prime 12 while battling this sickness. But it most likely saved him from being a true contender to win the BMW Championship, if only because there was no means he’d be in a position to play to his true potential.