Scottie Scheffler has revealed he battled through hand, foot and mouth disease at the BMW Championship - and admitted his stubbornness may have prevented him from making the sensible decision to withdraw.
The world No 1 finished tied for 12th after signing off with a two-under-par 68 on Sunday, an unremarkable result by the extraordinary standards he has set this season.
But Scheffler's performance takes on a different complexion after the American disclosed the painful symptoms he had been dealing with throughout the tournament.
The illness caused blisters that initially made something as fundamental as gripping his golf clubs uncomfortable.
"So to start the week it was pretty painful to grip the club," Scheffler revealed.
"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 had arrived at the BMW Championship in formidable form after cruising to an eight-shot triumph at the FedEx St Jude Championship.
But his health deteriorated shortly afterwards, with Scheffler revealing he became ill on Monday night.
He initially offered little explanation when declining an interview request on Thursday, saying simply: "I'm sick."
The full extent of the problem only became apparent after he completed all four rounds.
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Scheffler acknowledged there was little reason to push himself given his commanding position in the FedEx Cup standings.
He was already guaranteed to remain top through the BMW Championship, securing a $23million bonus, while the format of the Tour Championship means his seeding will provide no competitive advantage at East Lake.
Yet withdrawing once a tournament is underway is something Scheffler has always been reluctant to contemplate.
"That's part of my stubbornness, probably. That's probably a strength of mine and a weakness at times," he explained.
"I've never been one to ever pull out of a tournament, especially in the middle of it. That's really frustrating for me.
"But I'm proud of how I fought. Feel like I'm starting to heal up. My throat is still bugging me pretty good. But my hands feel normal today."
Despite being below full fitness, Scheffler still threatened to break into the top 10 during his final round after producing three consecutive birdies.
A closing bogey from a fairway bunker ultimately left him tied for 12th, while an unusually inconsistent week saw him find only 65 per cent of greens.
The 13 bogeys he recorded across the tournament were another indication that this was far from a routine week for the world's leading player.
Scheffler believes the illness may have struck particularly hard after the physical and emotional exertion of his dominant victory the previous week.
"You come out of the heat and get a little adrenaline, sometimes your body kind of crashes," he said.
"Then it hit me pretty good all week. "I'm still not 100 per cent now but I'll get some rest now, and hopefully that will help."
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