Michelle Wie, withdrawing from John Deere Classic, needs to get tougher if she wants to play with the big boys

What was it in Silvis, Illinois Friday – 88 degrees? With fairly low humidity?

Now, I have all the sympathy in the world for Michelle Wie, and I’m not saying she’s a sissy, but down here in Florida that kind of weather is like a lovely spring day. What’s she going to do when she plays in the Deep South in July? Or Arizona?

Wie withdrew from the John Deere Classic Friday afternoon – with no chance of making the cut – due to “stomach pains associated with heat,” according to television station USA officials.

She was carted off in an ambulance after quitting after the fifth hole. Of course, the TV commentators made it sound as if she was carried off on her sword. These are the same people who fawned all over her after her opening-round 77.

Feeling woozy, she drank water, which didn’t seem to help. I think Gatorade should look into an endorsement deal. Someone needs to tell Michelle about electrolytes.

Aside from the bizarre medical episode, this is getting to be a serious embarrassment, both for Wie and those PGA Tour tournaments who insist on giving her exemptions. I understand she boosts the profits, but shouldn’t integrity come into play at some point?

Right, I forgot, she’s chasing history, trying to make a cut on the men’s tour. Look, she’s already made history – no other female has tried and failed so many times to make a men’s tour cut. She needs to give it up, if for nothing more than her health.

You think there aren’t other players on the LPGA who could make a men’s cut, given so many chances? I guarantee Annika Sorenstam would have by now. Besides, what’s the big deal about making a cut? It isn’t like she’s ever going to win on the PGA Tour. It’s purely a symbolic and public relations move.

Maybe she should try making a cut in south Florida or parts of Arizona where they have those air-conditioned carts. What’s next, having a servant walk the course with her, fanning her?