Scottie Scheffler played through hand, foot and mouth disease at Bellerive, battling painful blisters while trying to protect his place atop the FedExCup standings.
Scheffler disclosed the illness on Sunday after completing the tournament at 7-under. He was tied for 11th when he signed his scorecard, having recovered from an over-par opening round with three successive rounds in the 60s.
His symptoms began on Monday, one day after he won the FedEx St. Jude Championship by eight strokes. Blisters on his hand and in his throat affected his preparation throughout the week, with the problem in his hands making it difficult to grip the club.
Scheffler adjusted his workouts and practice routine to get through four rounds. With his recent form giving him confidence that he could remain in contention, he decided against withdrawing despite the discomfort.
“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,” Scheffler said. “I think that’s part of my stubbornness, probably. That’s probably a strength of mine and a weakness at times.”
Approach Play Drops at Bellerive
The illness helps explain a performance that fell short of the standard Scheffler had set during his eight-shot victory the previous week.
The world No. 1 ranked 31st in Strokes Gained: Approach at Bellerive. Although he still produced three sub-70 rounds, his iron play was less effective than it had been during his recent run.
“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,” Scheffler said.
Tour Championship Begins From Level Scores
Scheffler will enter next week’s Tour Championship at No. 1 in the FedExCup standings, but he will not receive the scoring advantage previously awarded to the points leader.
Starting Strokes were eliminated after the 2024 Tour Championship. Every player will now begin on level terms, with the lowest 72-hole score determining both the Tour Championship winner and the FedExCup champion.
That format places greater weight on Scheffler’s recovery. His position at the top of the standings secures his place in the field without providing a head start if the symptoms continue.
Scheffler said withdrawing during a tournament had been suggested, but he remained determined to finish at Bellerive.
“I’ve never been one to ever pull out of a tournament, especially in the middle of it,” Scheffler said. “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.”
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Simon Bale
Simon Bale is the publisher of Golf Today. A low single-figure handicap golfer, he was previously a major shareholder and course reviewer for Top100GolfCourses.com for over a decade, starting in 2010. Through this role, he developed extensive knowledge of golf course design and architecture while playing more than 300 courses worldwide.