Clayton Vance Heafner (July 20, 1914 â December 31, 1960) was an American professional golfer.
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 âÂÂfieryâ and as a âÂÂfierce competitorâÂÂ, Heafner played on two victorious Ryder Cup teams, in 1949 and 1951, with a four-match record of 3âÂÂ0âÂÂ1. In the 1949 match, the U.S. was without Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson and Cary Middlecoff, but Heafner keyed a winning rally from a 3âÂÂ1 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'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.
Source:
this list may be incomplete
Note: Heafner never played in The Open Championship.
NT = no tournament<br> WD = withdrew<br> CUT = missed the half-way cut<br> R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play<br> "T" indicates a tie for a place