OCONOMOWOC, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Thursday, Oconomowoc's George Kneiser will tee off at the U.S. Open. After making it in a qualifier, does he feel his hard work has paid off?
"Yes and no to that," George Kneiser says. "I don't know if I would say it hasn't paid off if I didn't end up getting through on Monday. I would just say I'm a later developer. I started playing golf later than a lot of competitive golfers do."
George Kneiser recently visited family in Oconomowoc and could feel the love.
"Wisconsin's one of those states," Kneiser says. "It's just like, you know, the Midwest nice. The amount of support I've gotten, and I'm sure Harry's gotten too, it's cool to see."
And now he shares qualifying for the U.S. Open with Wisconsin buddy, Brookfield's Harrison Ott.
"George and I have put, I mean 30,000, 40,000 miles on our cars together," Harrison Ott says. "Traveled together to 100, probably close to 150 events the last three years."
"Since I've been a pro, I've been traveling with Harrison Ott, more or less," Kneiser says. "You know, here and there. Throughout a lot of my career. So, I'm real close with him. So, to see him do it, I'm proud of him. He's been playing great."
"I think the story of George and I, sleeping on cots and driving through the night, here and there in Timbuktu -- and then for both of us to get through, I think it's one of the coolest things that's happened in my life," Ott says.