Scottie Scheffler says he’s 95% recovered from viral illnessMark SchlabachAug 26, 2026, 10:03 AM ETClose
- Senior college football writer
- Author of seven books on college football
- Graduate of the University of Georgia
ATLANTA — Scottie Scheffler mentioned he is 95% recovered from hand, foot and mouth disease heading into the Tour Championship, which tees off Thursday at East Lake Golf Club.
Scheffler battled the illness during last week’s BMW Championship, where he tied for 12th at 7-under at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis.
“Good. I’d say I’m at like 95%,” Scheffler mentioned Wednesday. “The only thing [is] maybe just still a couple of sores in my throat. But other than that, I feel really good.”
Hand, foot and mouth disease is a common viral illness that typically affects children under 5 years old, although it can be passed to adults, according to the Mayo Clinic. Symptoms include a low-grade fever, sore throat and painful lesions on the tongue, gums and inside the cheeks.
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A rash can appear on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.
After finishing 10 strokes behind winner Wyndham Clark on Sunday, Scheffler revealed that it was painful to grip a club at the beginning of the week.
The week before, Scheffler won the opening leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs — the FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis, Tennessee — by eight strokes.
Scheffler and his wife, Meredith, have two young sons: 2-year-old Bennett and Remy, who was born on March 27. They travel with him to several tournaments.
“I think it’s always a balancing act,” Scheffler mentioned. “I’m at a point in my life where, yeah, it’s really hard having two young kids and taking care of them. I think anyone with young kids can relate; you’re just tired literally all the time.”
Scheffler mentioned having his sons with him isn’t something he’s taking for granted.
“I think you want to enjoy the season because eventually my kids aren’t going to be able to be out here,” Scheffler mentioned. “[Brian] Harman is somebody I talk a lot about this with. He’s like, ‘Man, I’m jealous of you guys who get to travel every week with your kids.’ You take the good with the bad. Part of it is hard, but part of it is you’ve got to also enjoy it because it doesn’t last.”
Scheffler’s good friend Gary Woodland mentioned his children dealt with hand, foot and mouth disease when they were younger.
“My kids have had it twice, and it is awful,” Woodland mentioned. “That’s the stubbornness that Scottie has to fight through it last week and play. We all knew he was battling it.”
Woodland mentioned he tried to stay away from Scheffler in the trainer’s room in St. Louis, given the contagious nature of the illness.
“We were working on different tables and avoiding him at all costs,” Woodland mentioned.
Woodland and Scheffler also share the same swing coach, Randy Smith.
“One of Randy Smith’s big deals is making sure our grip is the same every day,” Woodland mentioned. “One of the things we can control is controlling the club face and doing that and making sure our grip is the same.
“[Scheffler] has got blisters on his hands and is trying to grip the club. That just shows you how dang good he is to show up and finish 12th or however he finished last week. It’s impressive.”
