Clayton Heafner
Clayton Vance Heafner (July 20, 1914 – December 31, 1960) was an American golfer, and the father of golfer Vance Heafner.
| Clayton Heafner | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Clayton Vance Heafner |
| Born | July 20, 1914 Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Died | December 31, 1960 (aged 46) Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Career | |
| Status | Professional |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Professional wins | 7 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 3 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | T7: 1946, 1950 |
| PGA Championship | T5: 1949 |
| U.S. Open | 2nd/T2: 1949, 1951 |
| The Open Championship | DNP |
Heafner was born in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Heafner won seven times on the PGA Tour, played on two Ryder Cup teams, and finished runner-up in the 1949 and 1951 U.S. Opens. Often described as “fiery” and as a “fierce competitor”, Heafner played on two victorious Ryder Cup teams, in 1949 and 1951, with a four-match record of 3-0-1. In the 1949 match, the U.S. was without Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson and Cary Middlecoff, but Heafner keyed a winning rally from a 3-1 team deficit by beating Dick Burton 3 and 2.
He finished second in the 1951 U.S. Open to Ben Hogan.
Heafner was also a key figure in helping Charlie Sifford break the color barrier on the PGA Tour, by playing matches against him on Mondays and providing counsel Sifford carried with him through his playing days.
Heafner played in nine Masters, and when his son Vance played in the 1978 Masters, they became one of nine father-son duos to play the storied event. Clayton and Vance are also only one of five father-son combinations to win a PGA Tour event.
Heafner died in 1960 in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1974 and the Greater Charlotte Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.
Professional wins
PGA Tour wins (4)
- 1941 Mahoning Valley Open
- 1942 Mahoning Valley Open
- 1947 Jacksonville Open
- 1948 Colonial National Invitation
Other wins (3)
this list may be incomplete
- 1939 Carolinas Open
- 1950 Carolinas PGA Championship
- 1953 Carolinas Open
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | WD | T12 | NT | NT | NT | T7 | T29 | T8 | T7 | T20 | T24 | WD | |||
| U.S. Open | T16 | WD | T21 | NT | NT | NT | NT | T12 | CUT | CUT | T2 | 2 | WD | T26 | |
| PGA Championship | NT | R64 | R32 | QF | R64 |
Note: Heafner never played in The Open Championship.
NT = no tournament
WD = withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 7 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 6 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Totals | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 13 | 23 | 17 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 8 (1949 Masters – 1952 Masters)
- Longest streak of top-10s – 4 (1949 Masters – 1950 Masters)
External links
Clayton Heafner in the Ryder Cup | |||||||||||||||||
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