RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. The top-ranked golfer in the world, Scottie Scheffler, admitted to facing serious adversity at this past week's BMW Championship due to a health issue he was dealing with that brought painful conditions.
Scheffler, 30, entered the event in St. Louis, Missouri, as the leader in the FedExCup Standings , and was coming in with the momentum of a win at the St. Jude Championship. However, he revealed after the BMW Championship concluded that he'd been suffering from hand, foot, and mouth disease.
"I got the hand, foot, and mouth, so you get blisters on your hand, and in your mouth, and on your feet, so to start the week, it was pretty painful to grip the club," Scheffler told reporters . "If I was smarter, maybe I would've pulled out, but I was playing so good I figured if I could knock it out quickly, just get through the first few rounds, maybe I would still have a chance."
He suggested that his "stubbornness" was both a "strength and a weakness," as he's never been one to withdraw from a tournament.
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According to Scheffler, he believed he was beginning to "heal up," but his throat was still bugging him a bit after the event. Still, he admitted he felt proud about his performance while dealing with the disease.
"Once you get on the course, you get the adrenaline and everything, but the blisters on the hand was probably the most challenging, it was painful to grip the club to start the week," he said.
Along with that, he said his practices were affected by his battling hand, foot, and mouth disease, as he was resting rather than practicing how he would've liked to.
Despite dealing with the disease and starting at 2-over 72 in the first round, Scheffler put on an impressive performance over the remaining three rounds, including scores of 65 and 68 in the second and third rounds. In the final round, he shot 2-under 68 to finish tied for 12th overall on the leaderboard.
The final three rounds seemed to show he'd begun to shake off the previous struggles and likely felt better. He added another $426,250 to his stunning career earnings and continues to approach Tiger Woods' all-time earnings amount for PGA Tour events.
Scheffler's perseverance to remain competing despite battling hand, foot, and mouth disease is a testament to the type of competitor he is. However, even he admitted he should've maybe taken a different approach in consideration of his general well-being, especially since his postseason is still going.
He'll now get several days to rest and recover from the health issue before beginning the Tour Championship to conclude the FedExCup Playoffs.
Scheffler is one of the 30 golfers who qualified for the event, with others including notable stars such as Rory McIlroy, Cameron Young, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, and the BMW Championship winner, Wyndham Clark. The event officially begins Thursday, Aug. 27 at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia.
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