The Superior Express -

Ryan Butler and Alex Thayer, Superior High School graduates returned home from Jupiter, Fla. last Tuesday with a national golf title to their credit. They won the U. S. Doubles Golf men's championship played over the Bear's Course. Butler and Thayer are both Superior High School graduates. Butler is employed at the Superior NAPA store. Thayer works as a Charles Schwab financial adviser in Hasting. The duo qualified for the national event at Beatrice in October.

Jack Nicklaus is a legend in the world of professional golf. The Golden Bear holds the record for most major championship wins. His epic duels with golfers such as Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Gary Player and Tom Watson endeared him to the public. He won his final major tournament, The Masters, in 1986 at the age of 46.

Nicklaus did not confine himself to playing golf. He founded a golf course design firm as well as other golf related businesses.

The United States Doubles Golf was co-founded by Nicklaus and the originators of Junior League Golf. It is the first golf format created in the United States. The format is a rebranding of the two player scramble which is a more relaxed and less stressful approach to both recreational and competitive golf.

The scramble format had both golfers hit a shot. Then they hit the best shot of the two and continue on.

Doubles Golf is a nationwide fields of play with several categories. There are teams for men, women, parent-child juniors and seniors.

Teams play nine-hole segments.

Teams must play on PGA approved golf courses.

The duo qualified for the national event at Beatrice in October.

The qualifying rounds were played at different venues and narrowed the field to eight teams. The teams played two nine-hole segments on Monday, Nov.1 and a nine-hole segment on Tuesday. When the final scores were tallied, the Superior duo had claimed a national championship.