Jordan Spieth roared back into form after going back to his old trusted putter, while Alex Noren fired a sensational 10-under par 62 in the final round to win the BMW PGA Championship, but the unfortunate incident involving Tiger Woods was the most talked about topic in the golf world last week.

Obviously, this is still a developing story at the time of writing this article, but I was pained to see how quickly various members of the media and experts pounced on Woods and almost wrote his epitaph.

On Monday morning in Florida, Woods was arrested by the police on charges of driving under the influence. He was found asleep with his car engine running and parked on a hard shoulder. To make matters worse, the police also released a most unflattering mugshot in which Woods looked dishevelled and bleary-eyed. And even though his blood alcohol levels were not released then, that picture was enough for people to form their opinion. The video released of him struggling to walk in a straight lane when ordered to by the police was equally heartbreaking to see.

Some of the articles I read completely wrote off the 14-time major champion, saying he had hit the nadir of his career. Most of them also wrote that his career was finished. I was at Walton Heath for the US Open Sectional Qualifier, and there was a sense of disbelief among the professionals there.

Woods himself denied the involvement of alcohol in the whole issue, saying in a statement that it was “an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications”.

Even though Woods failed all the field sobriety tests at the time of arrest, the police later revealed that he did not have any alcohol in his body. But by that time, the damage was done.

Now, I do not want to sound like I am defending Tiger’s actions. He should not be driving when he is having such strong painkillers. And what happened was not only dangerous for him, but also very dangerous for others. I just feel sad that so much has been written and said about him without the whole story coming out in the open. And that picture of his is going to do the rounds on the internet forever.

After three surgeries on his back, it is going to be difficult for Tiger to dominate the sport like he did for so many years, but I do want him playing the game. I want him pain-free and someone who is able to enjoy his life on and off the golf course. He has done too many good things for golf, and I would hate to lose his active presence in the sport.

Moving on, Noren is clearly showing he is now one of the foremost players in the world after winning the BMW PGA Championship with that stunning final round of his. The Swede has won some big tournaments — actually, five of them in the past 11 months — and his reward is now a place in the top-10 in the world rankings. The next step for him is to contend in the majors.

And finally, it was an impressive comeback from Spieth at the Colonial. After having missed three cuts in his last four starts, he tied for second place at the Dean & Deluca Invitational.

Interestingly, Spieth, perhaps the best putter in the world right now, used a new putter at the Byron Nelson the week before, but reverted to his old Scotty Cameron Tour 009 Prototype after missing the cut there. And he was once solid on the greens. Hopefully, his form will continue with the US Open just round the corner.

— Jeev Milkha Singh is a four-time champion on the European Tour