Tranlate this title Fitzpatrick thought Scheffler was angry before learning the reason in spanish

Scottie Scheffler and Matt Fitzpatrick did not get the result they wanted at last week’s BMW Championship, although both players had moments when it looked like they could get much closer to the leaders at Bellerive Country Club.

Fitzpatrick opened the tournament with a 65 and immediately put himself high on the leaderboard, but he could not keep the same rhythm during the next three days and eventually finished tied for 28th at three-under. Scheffler had the opposite start, opening with a 72 before responding with rounds of 65, 68 and 68 to finish tied for 12th at seven-under.

The world No. 1 had entered the tournament after winning the FedEx St. Jude Championship by eight shots, so much more was expected from him in Missouri, but there was another reason why the American did not look like himself during parts of the week.

Scheffler was dealing with hand, foot and mouth disease, with blisters on his hands and ulcers in his throat making things quite difficult. He even considered withdrawing, but eventually played all four rounds.

The illness also created a funny situation between Scheffler and Fitzpatrick, who thought for some time that his playing partner had a problem with him.

Fitzpatrick thought Scheffler was angry

Scheffler and Fitzpatrick played together during the BMW Championship, but there was not much conversation between them.

Fitzpatrick did not know exactly what was happening. When the two were paired together again for the opening round of the Tour Championship, the Englishman finally told Scheffler what he had been thinking.

“Fitzy was laughing, I played with him first 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.

“I was like, ‘No, man, I just couldn’t speak.’”

The 30-year-old said this week that his health is now much better, although he still has a couple of ulcers in his throat. His hands have returned to normal and he can eat, drink and speak without the same problems.

Scheffler admitted after the BMW Championship that withdrawing had been discussed because gripping the club was painful, but leaving a tournament is something he has never liked doing.

“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 said.

“I think that’s part of my stubbornness, probably. That’s probably a strength of mine and a weakness at times.”

Despite everything, Scheffler produced three rounds in the 60s after his opening 72 and kept the No. 1 position in the FedEx Cup standings going into East Lake.

Scheffler’s mentality gets attention

Scheffler’s decision to continue playing while sick was not very surprising considering how people close to him have described his approach to golf over the years.

His caddie Ted Scott has spent several seasons watching the American prepare for tournaments and believes one of the biggest differences is how much work Scheffler is willing to do before competition even begins.

“He has a mindset that people just don’t have,” Scott said.

“Everybody wants to get an A on the math test, but not everybody wants to do the homework. Scottie is willing to do the homework day in and day out, to not skip any steps, to get fully prepared. It makes taking the test a lot more fun.”

Gary Woodland has also spent time practicing with Scheffler because the two share longtime coach Randy Smith, and the former US Open champion has watched closely how the world No. 1 works.

“He manages; talk about managing energy. I don’t know if anyone manages their energy as well as Scottie does. It’s impressive to see how he is in control,” Woodland said.

Scheffler himself admitted at Bellerive that continuing to play may not have been the smartest decision, but quitting after starting the tournament was difficult for him to accept.

“I’ve never been one to try and quit,” he said.

“I’ve never been one to ever pull out of a tournament, especially in the middle of it. That’s really frustrating for me.”

The American is now back at the Tour Championship and began the tournament with a five-under 65, while Fitzpatrick was one shot behind after a 66.

Just like before every tournament, Scottie Scheffler is once again among the favorites. While some believe that such expectations can create serious problems, his mentality is really special and it seems that the 30-year-old does not care too much about the expectations coming from all sides.