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Scottie Scheffler is revealing the reason he struggled while competing at the 2026 BMW Championship over the weekend, and it has to do with his health.

The 30-year-old professional golfer, currently the No. 1 ranked men’s golfer in the Official World Golf Ranking, revealed that he is dealing with hand, foot and mouth disease, and was playing with blisters in his throat and on his hands, which made it hard to even hold onto the golf club.

The BMW Championship 2026 took place at Bellerive Country Club on Sunday (August 23) in St Louis, Missouri. Scottie ultimately finished in a tie for 12th place.

“I got the hand, foot, mouth,” Scottie said, via CBS News.

“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,” he admitted.

“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.”

He also provided a health update after the tournament.

“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.”

From Mayo Clinic:

“Hand-foot-and-mouth disease is a mild illness caused by viruses. Most often, a virus called coxsackievirus A16 causes it. Hand-foot-and-mouth disease is common in young children. But people of any age can get it. Viruses that cause the illness spread easily between people and through the air. Symptoms of hand-foot-and-mouth disease include sores in the mouth and a rash on the hands and feet. There’s no specific treatment for hand-foot-and-mouth disease. Most people get better in 7 to 10 days. But certain medicines can ease pain and general discomfort in the meantime. Help prevent hand-foot-and-mouth disease with frequent hand-washing. Also, stay away from people who are sick.”

“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,” he added.

An extremely cute moment happened last year involving the pro golfer’s son. Find out what happened.

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