World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler finished 12th at the BMW Championship despite battling a painful viral illness throughout the week. The 30‑year‑old said the condition made gripping his clubs difficult, but he chose to stay in the tournament rather than withdraw.

Playing through illness

Scheffler explained that he first felt the symptoms on Monday night, a day after winning the FedEx St. Jude Championship by eight strokes. “It was pretty painful to grip the club,” he said. “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.”

The illness, identified as hand‑foot‑and‑mouth disease, is a viral condition that typically affects children and causes painful blisters on the hands, feet, and mouth, along with fever and sore throat. There is no cure, so Scheffler endured the symptoms without relief.

Performance despite symptoms

After shooting a 2‑under 68 on Sunday, Scheffler said he felt better as the week progressed but remained far from fully recovered. “I’m still not 100% now, but I’ll get some rest now and hopefully that will help,” he added.

Because his earlier FedEx St. Jude win secured his No. 1 ranking, Scheffler was already guaranteed a spot at the upcoming Tour Championship. He acknowledged that withdrawing from the BMW Championship would have been a prudent choice, but described his decision to stay as a mix of stubbornness and personal strength.

Looking ahead

Scheffler expressed optimism about his health improving before the Tour Championship at East Lake, which begins Thursday. He noted that his throat was still bothering him and his hands felt normal only that day, even nearly shaking hands with fellow competitor Cam Young after the round.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.