Oconomowoc's George Kneiser, shown here at the 2023 Wisconsin State Open at SentryWorld in Stevens Point, qualified for the first PGA Tour start of his career Monday during open qualifying for the Wyndham Championship in North Carolina.
- Wisconsin.Golf photo / ROB HERNANDEZ
It's been four years since George Kneiser wrapped up his college golf career at UW-Green Bay, but the Oconomowoc native can still ace tests when they come his way — all of them on the golf course these days and none bigger than the one he aced Monday at Bermuda Run Country Club in Bermuda Run, N.C.
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 6, 202426-year-old George Kneiser has never made a TOUR start ... until now.
He called his mom after he was successful at the @WyndhamChamp Monday Qualifier ❤️ pic.twitter.com/nrhXDmlYVA
Kneiser shot a bogey-free 4-under-par 32 on his inward nine during Monday's open qualifying for this week's Wyndham Championship to shoot 6-under 65, share low honors with former University of Kentucky golfer Cooper Musselman of Louisville, Ky., and earn a berth in his first PGA Tour event. Henrik Norlander of Augusta, Ga., and Martin Trainer of San Francisco shot 66 and won an 8-for-2 playoff for the last spots in the final event before the PGA Tour Playoffs, with 2023 U.S. Amateur runner-up Neal Shipley— the low amateur at this year's Masters and U.S. Open— among the six golfers left on the outside looking in.
"It felt really good once I knew I was in," Kneiser, who had status last year on PGA Tour Canada, told Wisconsin.Golf in a text message. "It’s a good sign of confirmation that I’m doing the right things, my hard work is starting to translate to results and my game is trending in the right direction!"
Indeed, Kneiser came into this event after missing the cut at the Cedar Rapids Open. He earned a spot in the Monday Qualifier by shooting a bogey-free 4-under 67 at the Pre-Qualifier at Bermuda Run's East Course on July 30.
This time, Kneiser started slow with three pars and a bogey after beginning his round on the 10th tee. He made up for it in a hurry with birdies at Nos. 14, 15 and 17 to make the turn in 2-under 33 before tacking on birdies at Nos. 1, 4, 6 and 7 and post the first of two 65s before waiting for seven groups to finish.
"I really wouldn’t say I did anything special— just played consistent golf throughout the day," Kneiser wrote. "It’s funny when people ask because often times 'boring golf' is really the best golf. I was in the fairway a good amount and just trying to hit greens and see if I couldn’t get some putts to drop.
"Thankfully, I hit the ball pretty steady down the stretch and just had to cozy up a 20-footer on the last to two-putt for par. I figured 6-under had a good chance but there were a couple groups yet to come in so I wasn’t sure right away."
His unexpected start on the PGA Tour comes as his summer schedule is winding down. Kneiser is scheduled to play in the Wisconsin State Open in two weeks at Minocqua Country Club and the North Dakota Open at the end of the month in Fargo, N.D., before getting ready for Qualifying School on the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and the Asian Tour, which runs from October through December.
"This is a good addition to the schedule," Kneiser wrote.
Pos | Wisconsin leaderboard | Thru | Total | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
T1 | George KneiserOconomowoc, WI | F * | -6 | 65 | |
Full Leaderboard | |||||
QUALIFIERS(4) | |||||
T1 | George KneiserOconomowoc, WI | F * | -6 | 65 | |
T1 | Cooper MusselmanLouisville, KY | F | -6 | 65 | |
T3 | Henrik NorlanderAugusta, GA | F | -5 | 66 | |
T3 | Martin TrainerSan Francisco, CA | F | -5 | 66 | |
DID NOT QUALIFY | |||||
T3 | Neal ShipleyPittsburgh, PA | F * | -5 | 66 | |
T3 | Spencer CrossSevierville, TN | F * | -5 | 66 | |
T3 | Kyle CottamKnoxville, TN | F | -5 | 66 | |
T3 | Austin DuncanYork, SC | F * | -5 | 66 | |
T3 | George DuangmaneeFairfax, VA | F | -5 | 66 | |
T3 | Brandon BerryGreat Falls, VA | F | -5 | 66 | |
T11 | Oliver WilsonCharlotte, NC | F * | -4 | 67 | |
T11 | Ryan SullivanAdvance, NC | F | -4 | 67 | |
T11 | Cody GribbleDallas, TX | F | -4 | 67 | |
T11 | Hunter FryBonita Springs, FL | F | -4 | 67 | |
T11 | Noah ConnorReidsville, NC | F | -4 | 67 | |
T11 | Mitchell VanceHartsville, SC | F * | -4 | 67 | |
T11 | Carson OwnbeyGreer, SC | F | -4 | 67 | |
T11 | Matthew Doyle (a)Summerville, SC | F * | -4 | 67 | |
T11 | John ClareCamillus, NY | F * | -4 | 67 | |
T11 | Ben WoodruffCornelius, NC | F * | -4 | 67 | |
T21 | Jonathan HardeeMount Pleasant, SC | F | -3 | 68 | |
T21 | Connor BurgessLynchburg, VA | F | -3 | 68 | |
T21 | Anders AlbertsonDecatur, GA | F | -3 | 68 | |
T21 | Erik BarnesParrish, FL | F * | -3 | 68 | |
T21 | Parker GillamSt Simons Island, GA | F | -3 | 68 | |
T26 | DJ TrahanScottsdale, AZ | F | -2 | 69 | |
T26 | William McGirtBluffton, SC | F | -2 | 69 | |
T26 | Mickey DeMoratMerritt Island, FL | F | -2 | 69 | |
T29 | Connor McKayNashville, TN | F | -1 | 70 | |
T29 | Kyle ReifersMooresville, NC | F * | -1 | 70 | |
T29 | Ryan BlaumRaleigh, NC | F | -1 | 70 | |
T29 | Anthony MaccagliaDuluth, GA | F * | -1 | 70 | |
T29 | Keegan BronnenbergBeaufort, SC | F | -1 | 70 | |
T34 | Alex GoffAnderson, SC | F | E | 71 | |
T34 | Steven ChervonyAustin, TX | F | E | 71 | |
T34 | Christian SalzerSumter, SC | F * | E | 71 | |
T34 | Tommy GibsonRoaring Gap, NC | F | E | 71 | |
T34 | Spencer OxendineFayetteville, NC | F * | E | 71 | |
T34 | Jack FaraciMonroe, NC | F | E | 71 | |
T34 | Nicklaus SuttonNashville, TN | F * | E | 71 | |
T34 | David SanchezCharlotte, NC | F | E | 71 | |
T34 | William NottinghamKingsport, TN | F | E | 71 | |
T34 | Chris NidoPalmetto Bay, FL | F * | E | 71 | |
T34 | Blake McSheaWendell, NC | F | E | 71 | |
T45 | Sean Finan (a)Winston Salem, NC | F * | +1 | 72 | |
T45 | Logan PerkinsMcdonough, GA | F * | +1 | 72 | |
T45 | Nick LyerlySalisbury, NC | F * | +1 | 72 | |
T45 | Collin Adams (a)Charlotte, NC | F * | +1 | 72 | |
T45 | Jacob Uyesato (a)Corona, CA | F | +1 | 72 | |
T45 | Michael ClardyAugusta, GA | F * | +1 | 72 | |
T45 | Brett BeazantOrlando, FL | F * | +1 | 72 | |
T45 | Curtis ThompsonBoynton Beach, FL | F * | +1 | 72 | |
53 | Steven DilisioSwampscott, MA | F * | +2 | 73 | |
T54 | Jon MayerHyannis, MA | F * | +3 | 74 | |
T54 | Ben Jordan (a)Greensboro, NC | F | +3 | 74 | |
T54 | Austin SquiresClermont, FL | F * | +3 | 74 | |
57 | Matthew ShortHudson, NC | F | +4 | 75 | |
T58 | Caleb WittigCharleston, SC | F | +5 | 76 | |
T58 | Jackson MarkhamDallas, TX | F | +5 | 76 | |
T58 | Davis RichardsOcean Isle Beach, NC | F * | +5 | 76 | |
61 | Caleb Loudin (a)Summerville, SC | F * | +7 | 78 | |
62 | John Grimes (a)Greensboro, NC | F | +15 | 86 | |
DID NOT FINISH | |||||
WD | Austin CookJonesboro, AR | -1 | |||
WD | Peter KnadeJupiter, FL | -1 | |||
WD | MJ DaffueKingwood, TX | +1 | |||
WD | Nyasha MauchazaPort Saint Lucie, FL | +1 | |||
WD | Thomas GirouxGeorgetown, ON | ||||
WD | Lanto GriffinJacksonville beach, FL | ||||
WD | Andrew LandryDripping Springs, TX | ||||
NS | Eric AxleyKnoxville, TN | ||||
NS | Raul PeredaSt. Augustine, FL | ||||
NS | Robert StrebLake Quivira, KS | ||||
NS | Kevin TwayEdmond, OK |
* denotes a 10th hole start
Rob Hernandez
robhernandez.golf@gmail.com
- Author facebook
- Author twitter
- Author email
Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily!
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Followed notifications
Please log in to use this feature
Log In
Don't have an account? Sign Up Today
Sign up for our email newsletters
Most Popular
-
Five years into her return to competitive golf after a 15-year hiatus, Middleton's Jessie Gulden punches ticket to U.S. Women's Mid-Am
-
With a 10-under day over 32 holes in the semifinals and finals, DeForest's Lincoln Hottmann claims Junior Masters title
-
Oconomowoc's George Kneiser to make PGA Tour debut as co-medalist at Monday Qualifier for the Wyndham Championship
-
Aliisa Helminen, who first got her hands on a golf trophy at 4 months old, does it again in winning Wisconsin Junior Girls Championship
-
The Sweet Spot: Thomas Longbella's hand surgery; Ty Kretz's course-record 60; Jacob Beckman's first win this summer
- More Editor Picks
In Case You Missed It
And the winners were ... The 2024 Wisconsin golf tournament champions so far
- By WISCONSIN.GOLF STAFF
Aliisa Helminen, who first got her hands on a golf trophy at 4 months old, does it again in winning Wisconsin Junior Girls Championship
- By ROB HERNANDEZ
At 39 years old, Madison's Garrett Jones finally achieves dream of winning the Wisconsin State Amateur Championship
- By GARY D'AMATO
Last week her game was a 'hot mess.' On Tuesday, Abigail Henriksen, 15, became the youngest-ever State Women's Amateur champion.
- By GARY D'AMATO
More from this Section
'; if ($(content).html() == "") { row = ''; } return row; }; if (typeof oResponse.next_url == 'undefined') { // URL supplied is no good. Revert to original URL sNextUrl = sOriginURL; } else { sNextUrl = scrubURL(oResponse.next_url); } // Manage response if (typeof oResponse.assets != 'undefined' && oResponse.assets.length > 0) { // Remove old more data $("#infinite-more").remove(); // Build infinity set $.each(oResponse.assets, function(index) { // Display assets once origin is found if (bFoundOrigin == true) { if (this.id == sOriginID) { bInfiniStop = true; sNextUrl = null; $("#infinite-more").remove(); } else if (bInfiniStop == false && this.id != '85843ed6-538d-11ef-9243-3ff8c529e899') { // Display asset var sHTML = ''; if (this.content) { if (sInfinityType == 'summary_sticky_siderail') { if (counter == 0) { sHTML += displayRegion(counter); } counter++; sHTML += '
' + this.content + '
'; if (rPositions.indexOf(counter) > -1) { sHTML += displayRegion(counter); } } else { if (counter == 0) { sHTML += displayRegion(counter); } counter++; sHTML += '
' + this.content + '
'; if (bShowAd == true) { // Show advertisement sHTML += '
' bShowAd = false; } else { bShowAd = true; } sHTML += '
'; if (rPositions.indexOf(counter) > -1) { sHTML += displayRegion(counter); } } } } } else { if (this.id == sOriginID) { // Origin found. Begin displaying assets bFoundOrigin = true; } else { // Origin found is false. Skip asset // Fail-safe in case origin is not present in set. This can be removed when origin is fixed. if (bFirstRun == true) { // Stored first id sFirstID = this.id; bFirstRun = false; } else if (this.id == sFirstID) { // We've started again. Force origin sOriginID = sFirstID; bFoundOrigin = true; } // end Fail-safe } } // Append infinity set to container $("#infinite-container").append(sHTML); }); // Include block_id on newly added list items $('#infinite-container .infinite-item.original').each(function() { var sHref = scrubURL($(this).find(".card-headline a").attr("href")); // Add to image and headlines links $(this).removeClass('original') .find(".card-headline a, .image a") .attr("href", sHref + "#tncms-source=infinity-scroll-summary-sticky-siderail-next"); }); // Check next URL if (sNextUrl) { // if origin hasn't been found yet and we hit next_url. Trigger the set to pull in again. if (bFoundOrigin == false) { // No origin yet. Call the populate function populateInfinitySet(sNextUrl); } else { // Append sNextUrl to infinity set $("#infinite-container").append('
'); } } if (sInfinityType == 'summary_sticky_siderail') { __tnt.regions.stickySide.determineStick($('#sticky-right-rail'), $('#sticky-right-rail-spacer'), 'siderail'); } } else { // Empty asset set returned. Go back in for a real set populateInfinitySet(sNextUrl); } }); } var infWaypoint = new IntersectionObserver(function(infContainer) { if (infContainer[0].intersectionRatio > 0) { if (!bInfiniStop) { // Log waypoint hit event __tnt.trackEvent({'category':'infinity-scroll','action':'request', 'label':'assets requested', 'value': true}); var nextURL = $('#infinite-more').data('next-url'); populateInfinitySet($('#infinite-more').data('next-url')); } } }); var infinityContainer = document.getElementById('infinite-container'); infWaypoint.observe(infinityContainer); // Rewrite URL to for preview function scrubURL(sURL) { if (typeof sURL != 'undefined'){ return sURL; } }