Scottie Scheffler explained why he went two days without speaking to Matt Fitzpatrick during last week’s BMW Championship, revealing that his hand, foot and mouth disease had left him unable to talk normally.
The world No. 1 played through the illness at the FedExCup playoff event and finished tied for 12th. Scheffler said his hands are now “totally back to normal,” although he still has a couple of ulcers in his throat.
Scottie Scheffler Explains Two-Day Silence With Matt Fitzpatrick
Scheffler said his recovery has improved significantly since the BMW Championship at Bellerive Country Club.
“Yeah, hands are all good, totally back to normal,” Scheffler said. “I have a couple ulcers still in my throat, but I feel way better than last week. I’m talking and eating and drinking normally.”
The illness affected Scheffler’s ability to communicate during the tournament. That led to an amusing misunderstanding with Matt Fitzpatrick, who played alongside him during the opening round.
“Yeah, hands are all good, totally back to normal. I have a couple ulcers still in my throat, but I feel way better than last week. I’m talking and eating and drinking normally.
Fitzy was laughing, I played with him 1st tee
“Fitzy was laughing, I played with him 1st tee last week, and he said, ‘Man, I thought I pissed you off or something. You didn’t talk to me for two days,’” Scheffler said.
Scheffler then explained the reason for his silence.
“I was like, ‘No, man, I just couldn’t speak.’”
Scheffler had revealed after the BMW Championship that he was dealing with hand, foot and mouth disease. The illness caused painful sores and made it difficult for him to grip a golf club during the opening rounds.
“To start the week it was pretty painful to grip the club,” Scheffler said after the BMW Championship.
The four-time major champion considered withdrawing but chose to continue competing.
“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.
He also acknowledged that his decision was influenced by his tendency to push through difficult situations.
“But I think that’s part of my stubbornness, probably. That’s probably a strength of mine and a weakness at times.”
Scottie Scheffler Turns Focus to Tour Championship
Despite dealing with the illness, Scheffler completed the BMW Championship and finished tied for 12th, 10 shots behind winner Wyndham Clark.
Scheffler now enters the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta as the world No. 1 and one of the leading players in the season-ending event.
Rory McIlroy also discussed Scheffler’s illness after encountering him while getting lunch in Atlanta.
“I was getting lunch yesterday and the first person I saw that was putting food on his plate beside me was Scottie, so I was like: Are you okay? Are you fine? Are you feeling better?” McIlroy said.
McIlroy also spoke about how illnesses can spread among families with young children.
“Kids bring stuff home from school. They bring stuff home from day care out here. I think anyone that’s had children, it’s a part of it,” McIlroy said.
Scheffler has two young sons with his wife, Meredith Scudder. McIlroy and his wife, Erica Stoll, have a daughter, Poppy.
Gary Woodland also addressed Scheffler’s decision to play through the illness. Woodland said his own children have had hand, foot and mouth disease twice and described it as “awful.”
Woodland praised Scheffler’s ability to finish the BMW Championship despite dealing with painful sores on his hands.
“That’s the stubbornness that Scottie has, to fight through it last week and play,” Woodland said.
The illness now appears to be behind Scheffler’s immediate preparations for the Tour Championship. He said his hands have returned to normal and that he can now speak, eat and drink normally, with only a couple of ulcers remaining in his throat.
Scottie Scheffler Reveals Why He Didn’t Speak to Matt Fitzpatrick for Two Days