Paula Creamer is a member of the Ladies Professional Golf Association.

Things have changed in the LPGA. A new crop of golfer is filling the ranks; young, feminine, athletic players who are extremely talented and fun to watch. Creamer is in this group. She is in her early 20s, cute as a speckled puppy, and wears color coordinated outfits with a touch of pink, sparking the nickname Pink Panther. She is also an extremely gifted player.

In early November, Paula participated in a tournament in Mexico. She was the defending champion. Her game was a little off; she seemed to be suffering from an unnamed ailment. She played indifferently on Thursday and had to scramble through her Friday round just to make the cut.

Saturday the Pink Panther played much better and found herself in contention to successfully defend her title. I assumed her ailment was behind her. Whatever the problem; acid reflux, headache, hangnail, seemed to have run its course.

Pro athletes are routinely sidelined with ailments most of us take for granted. They will call in sick for the least debilitating ailment. Former Brave Bob Horner would take himself out of the lineup for a hangnail.

There are exceptions. Defensive end Fred Dryer once played a month on a broken fibula. He explained his action by saying it was the playoffs. NASCAR drivers and rodeo riders are also renowned for being tough.

Golfers are perceived to be a little fragile, even by pro athlete's standards. Except for Tiger Woods, who won the 2008 US Open with one broken leg and ligament damage in the other, golfers are considered especially soft.

In September, I developed an abscessed colon. When the pain hit I was unable to do anything but lie in the fetal position and groan. The nausea was nearly unbearable. I curled up in a little ball and whimpered, waiting on the next urge to bolt for the bathroom. I spent three days like this and was finally admitted to the hospital. I'm sure most pro golfers would have called for Dr. Kevorkian.

An infection in the digestive system is something that puts one totally out of commission. It is nearly impossible to do anything, much less concentrate at a high level. Those overpaid wimps would have been on the disabled list for a month.

On Sunday of the LPGA tournament, the announcers mentioned sweet little Paula Creamer, who was playing okay, but seemed to have run out of gas. It turns out her ailment was a digestive infection; basically the same thing I had.

So this dainty little princess who looks so fragile on TV was playing quality golf for four days with the same ailment that turned me into a helpless mass of tofu. I've been reevaluating my scale for toughness ever since, and I have newfound respect for members of the LPGA, but I still think Phil Mickelson is a sissy.