There has been precious little news on the Tiger Woods front since he took his left knee in for a lube and polish after last month’s Masters tournament.

In fact, we’d be tempted to say there’s been no news at all, if it wasn’t for the recent report that pegged Woods as one of South Florida’s most prolific water users at 3.7 million gallons per year.

A tidbit like that might get you through the day. Especially in light of the explanation from a Woods mouthpiece – much of the water, it turns out, is committed to new landscaping.

But even after the obligatory “new landscaping” crack – how many golf courses can one back yard hold, anyway? – we’re soon right back where we started, with a hole in our spring-summer experience where Tiger usually stands. Which is why his appearance at a news conference in Bethesda, Md., on Tuesday was heralded as such huge news by the purveyors of 24/7 news outlets. It wasn’t strictly because of what he said, but because he said anything at all.

Just for the record, what he said was:

“(The) knee is doing better. Everything is on schedule. (I’m) just trying to get this thing organized for the (U.S.) Open.”

His return, in other words, is imminent. And still this will not be a typical turn of the golfing calendar for the world’s most recognizable athlete.

For starters, there is nothing typical about spending two months between majors rehabbing after knee surgery. Woods’ customary U.S. Open run-up includes the Memorial Tournament, which tees off Thursday. But he withdrew from that event.

“I wasn’t ready,” he said. “I wasn’t sharp enough.”

Beyond that, when he shows up at Torrey Pines for the U.S. Open, he’ll be accompanied by the sort of dramatic tension he hasn’t known since, well, maybe ever.

The current state of his left knee is only part of the story. It wasn’t ready this week, but will be on June 12? That kind of split-second timing can be problematic even in the wake of so-called minor surgery.

Moreover, this is the third procedure on that knee, which does more than its share of heavy lifting during Woods’ torque-o-rama, 125-mph swing. That’s enough to make you wonder how long until Woods gets Tiger-proofed by his own flesh, bone and cartilage.

He makes no secret of his love for major championships. He’s got 13, on his way to Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18, and no one’s suggesting he won’t get there. But there isn’t much room in the timeline for running in place.

Woods is 32. His left knee is beginning to look like a mumbletypeg pitch. He has won 24 of the 54 PGA Tour events he has entered the past four years but a mere two U.S. Opens in 13 tries (11 as a pro).

We’re gaining a better feel for the arc of his career, and we can understand there will be an end, even if we can’t see it from here. He is thinking more globally these days, too. Literally. He is helping design a golf course in Dubai. His news conference Tuesday was to discuss his own AT&T National Tournament, which helps fund his charitable foundation.

“We have a lot of kids here who need our help,” he said. “There are also a lot of kids around the world who need our help as well.”