Clayton Heafner


Clayton Vance Heafner was an American professional golfer.

Career

Heafner was born in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Heafner won four 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.

Personal life

Heafner's son, Vance Heafner, was also a professional golfer. When Vance played in the 1978 Masters Tournament they became one of nine father-son duos to play in the event. Clayton and Vance are also only one of five father-son combinations to win a PGA Tour event.
In 1960, Heafner died in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Awards and honors

Professional wins

PGA Tour wins (4)

Source:

Other wins (3)

this list may be incomplete

Results in major championships

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

  • Most consecutive cuts made – 8
  • Longest streak of top-10s – 4