ESPN Golf

There is little reason to believe this is anything more than a speed bump on his journey to golf immortality. Tiger Woods hosted his annual fundraiser in Las Vegas on Saturday just days after knee surgery. He could be putting and chipping this week.

And knowing his determination, you figure he will embrace rehabilitation and return to golf as good as or better than when he left it in surprising fashion just two days after the Masters, in a surgeon's care.

But his absence for at least the next several weeks is more than a subtle reminder that nothing is assured, certainly not all the records Woods is expected to break.

Simply, we take him for granted.

And that has been easy to do, given his amazing consistency, his assault on the record books.

A couple of reminders: Since his first full year as a pro in 1997, Woods has finished worse than second on the PGA Tour money list just twice; he dropped all the way to fourth in 1998 and 2004. He has won the money title eight times in 11 years, despite playing less than anyone else.

Of course, there are all the PGA Tour titles, a number he has increased by three this year to 64, tying him with Ben Hogan, leaving him behind only Jack Nicklaus (73) and Sam Snead (82). And then there is the big one, the Golden Bear's record 18 major titles.

Woods has 13, and seemed on course to get one closer at the Masters, a tournament all but conceded to him amid rampant Grand Slam talk. But poor putting and, as it turns out, a sore knee, relegated him to second place, three strokes behind Trevor Immelman.

Knee surgery, even if considered minor, is an attention-grabber.

"It sure is, because you can't transfer and swivel on your knee if it's hurting," said Hall of Famer Tom Watson, 58, who won on the Champions Tour on Sunday after missing the cut at the Masters a week prior. "If you can't get to your left side, you're going to straighten up. You're going to hang back on your right side. And he missed the ball to the right a lot, didn't he? You hang back, you miss it to the right when you're a strong player."

Watson, like the rest of us, was unaware that Woods was having that kind of difficulty with his left knee, but in retrospect is not surprised. "It didn't look like he was swinging very well," the eight-time major winner said. "He was standing straight up at impact. He got tall at impact too many times and couldn't get around on that knee."

And Watson pointed out that Augusta is an extremely hilly course that can exacerbate any knee problems.

Which leads to a few questions: Did Woods' knee get progressively worse at the Masters, necessitating the surgery now? Or sometime in the winter months did it become clear that he was going to need to get this done, and two days after the Masters was the best time?

Hank Haney, Woods' instructor, suggested that the knee -- on which Woods had similar surgery at the end of 2002 -- has been bothering him since the middle of last year. Yet Woods played some of the best golf of his career starting in August, when he won four of his past five official starts -- including the PGA Championship -- and finished second in the other. Apparently it wasn't bad enough to necessitate surgery then, as Woods took 10 weeks off from competition after the Presidents Cup.

And then there is this: If Woods had won the Masters, would he still have had the surgery two days later? Was he going in either way?

All those questions will have to wait until we see Woods once again on a public stage.

In the meantime, his short time away is a reminder that injuries can sidetrack golfers, too. For a noncontact sport, there is a healthy number of unhealthy players. No fewer than 17 began the PGA Tour season on a Major Medical Extension. Another five started on a Minor Medical Extension.

That means injuries of some sort cut short their 2007 seasons, and they were given a window this year to earn enough money to remain exempt. Tiger has no exemption worries, but plenty of maladies are afflicting golfers.

Remember Bob May, the guy Tiger vanquished at the 2000 PGA Championship? May began the year on a Minor Medical Extension. A serious back injury first suffered at the 2003 EDS Byron Nelson Championship kept May off the tour until 2006.

And what about Annika Sorenstam? She seemed well on her way to Patty Berg's LPGA record of 15 major championships when she won the 2006 U.S. Women's Open for her 10th. And with 69 LPGA Tour titles through 2006, there was reason to believe she could catch Kathy Whitworth's record of 88 victories.

But a ruptured disc in her back last year has meant just one win since. And though Sorenstam is now fully recovered, she offers another example of why we should assume nothing.

Given Woods' work ethic, and the fact that he's been through this before, it hardly would be a surprise if he returned in five weeks to win the Memorial -- if that is where he chooses to make his comeback.

Then it would be on to the U.S. Open and Torrey Pines, where Woods has won four straight Buick Invitationals. He will be a big favorite there.

And soon, perhaps, the questions will become more of an annoyance to Woods than the knee itself. But it is best to enjoy what he does, when he does it. Because you never know.

"You can't take health for granted," said golf's eternal optimist, Gary Player. "You can't take your eyes for granted, your nerves for granted. Nothing. Tiger is the best player in the world. But [Seve] Ballesteros was the best player in the world, and look what happened to him. Tiger is a superstar and will overcome all kinds of adversity. Nobody has higher regard for Tiger Woods than me. But you cannot take anything for granted."

Bob Harig covers golf for ESPN.com. He can be reached at BobHarig@gmail.com.