Clayton Heafner

Clayton Vance Heafner (July 20, 1914 – December 31, 1960) 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 In 1974, Heafner was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. In 2006, he was inducted into the Greater Charlotte Sports Hall of Fame.

Professional wins PGA Tour wins (4) 1941 Mahoning Valley Open 1942 Mahoning Valley Open 1947 Jacksonville Open 1948 Colonial National Invitation

Source:

Other wins (3) this list may be incomplete 1939 Carolinas Open 1950 Carolinas PGA Championship 1953 Carolinas Open

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 (1949 Masters – 1952 Masters) Longest streak of top-10s – 4 (1949 Masters – 1950 Masters)