Michelle Wie withdrew from the John Deere Classic halfway through her second round due to heat exhaustion. It did not come that this came after playing 27 holes in +8, leaving her near the very bottom of the leaderboard. The naysayers were quick to poke fun at Wie and the convenient timing of her WD since she stood no chance of even approaching the cut line halfway through her second round. Further, Michelle's performance only further fueled the belief that it may be time for Michelle Wie to temporarily halt or stop altogether her quest to become the first woman to make a cut on the PGA Tour in 60 years.

It is certain that Wie has reached a crossroads in her gender bending experiment. Her performances this year on the PGA Tour - this week and at the Sony Open in Hawaii - are less than impressive and lead an ignorant onlooker to believe her skill level compared to the fellas on Tour may have actually worsened.

That's simply not true. Wie came within one shot of making a cut in the Casio World Open in November and did manage to finish in a tie for 35th at the SK Telecom Open event in South Korea. In short, she has been competitive with men on a professional circuit and has proven she can make a cut in a field full of men. Granted, neither of these two events is to the caliber of most PGA Tour events, but both have fields similar to the lackluster field at this past week's John Deere Classic.

I hate to make comparisons to the LPGA Tour when discussing the PGA Tour for fear of having my head cut off and the obvious disparity, but Wie has been superb on the LPGA Tour this year. She has top 5 finishes in all of the majors this year as a part time player and has no finish less than 5th in the five LPGA Tour events she has entered. Making a little more than $440,000 this season, Wie would be in 15th position on the LPGA Tour money list if she had status on the Tour.

Basically, what I'm telling you is that Michelle Wie is having an excellent season. She's not just having a great year for someone with no status on any tour. She's not just having a great year for someone who is 16. Wie is having a great year - end of story.

Further, if I may draw your attention to some of the best finishers of the week at the John Deere Classic to illustrate a point. The winner of this event, John Senden, though a proven talent, broke through for the first time this week in five PGA Tour seasons. Sean O'Hair made the Deere his first career title last year - granted that it was his rookie season. This event has a history of producing first time winners, which usually means that the field is weak.

Among those who finished T-10th or better at this year's Deere, the average position of those players on the PGA Tour money list is 144th - not even in position to maintain full Tour status if the season ended before this week. That kind of weakness makes Wie's exemption into this event viable for me. I'm not saying that she should get a free pass into the Buick Invitational or Colonial or a more prestigious event. But, if she is going to play against a field of players that can barely maintain their card, I think I am perfectly able to defend my position.

Sure, there is a counter argument here. Wie playing in two PGA Tour events per year is taking away two spots from struggling pros like the ones that comprise the Deere field which might otherwise be used to secure their livelihood for next season. Well, perhaps those spots would help John Riegger since he made this week his third made cut of the season in 13 tries. To me, though, I don't see the harm in giving up his (or someone else's) spot for a week so that Wie can play. I don't think she's hurting anything by being there. And if her mere presence at a supposedly "men's" event offends you, then you do not have to watch that week - it's that simple.

Michelle Wie's play this week, though, does leave her image as a rule-defying talent tainted. If she is to continue accepting exemptions into PGA Tour events, she is going to have to make the cut or come tantalizingly close in each of her next two or three tries. That will ensure her viability in the public eye and also guarantee that tournament sponsors will be willing to take flack from PGA Tour players, naysayers, and others in exchange for the major bank that Wie brings with her when she plays.

If she cannot do that, then she is no more deserving of an exemption than the average struggling Tour pro that cannot make a cut. I fully support Wie in her quest to make cuts on the PGA Tour because I think she can do it and has demonstrated she can. But, if she cannot continue to demonstrate progress toward that goal, then she should stop appearing in PGA Tour events until she can show some improvement. Michelle Wie seeks equal treatment in her quest to be on equal planes with the men. She has been given many opportunities to do so. Now, it is time for her to keep her end of the bargain and make a cut.

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