Clayton Vance Heafner Jr. (August 11, 1954 – September 26, 2012) was an American professional golfer who played on the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also ...

, the Nationwide Tour and the Champions Tour.

Early life

Heafner was born in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

. He was the son of professional golfer Clayton Heafner and Mary Ellen Allen. The family moved to

Cary, North Carolina Cary is a town in Wake and Chatham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina and is part of the Raleigh–Cary, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to the 2020 Census, its population was 174,721, making it the seventh largest mun ...

where he attended Cary Elementary School and

Cary High School Cary High School is one of six public high schools in Cary, North Carolina and is part of the Wake County Public School System. In 1907, Cary High School became the first state-funded public high school in North Carolina.Byrd, Thomas M. and Cos ...

. He attended North Carolina State University and was a three-time All-American member of the

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...

team. Heafner played on the

1977 Walker Cup The 1977 Walker Cup, the 26th Walker Cup Match, was played on August 26 and 27, 1977, at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, Southampton, New York. The event was won by the United States 16 to 8. The United States led 9–3 after the first day and 11–5 ...

team, winning all three of his matches to help lead the U.S. to victory, and turned professional in 1978.

Career

Heafner played in 266 events on the PGA Tour from 1978–1988, making the cut 157 times. He had 20 top-10 finishes including a win at the 1981 Walt Disney World National Team Championship with playing partner Mike Holland. Heafner played some on the Nationwide Tour toward the end of his regular career years. His best finish in that venue is a T-14 at the 1994 NIKE Carolina Classic. After reaching the age of 50 in August 2004, he began to play on the Champions Tour in selected events. His best finish was a T-34 at the 2006 SAS Championship. Heafner resided in North Carolina; he was Director of Golf at the

Prestonwood Country Club Prestonwood Country Club is a private country club in Cary, North Carolina, located near Research Triangle Park (RTP) and Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU). The country club's amenities include 54 holes of golf, 15 tennis courts, a full- ...

Cary Cary may refer to: Places ;United States * Cary, Illinois, part of the Chicago metropolitan area * Cary, Indiana, part of the Indianapolis metropolitan area * Cary, Miami County, Indiana * Cary, Maine * Cary, Mississippi * Cary, North Carolina ...

, and most recently a teaching pro at Wildwood Golf Club in

Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...

Amateur wins

*1976

Eastern Amateur The Eastern Amateur is an annual amateur golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does no ...

*1977

Azalea Invitational The Azalea Invitational is an annual amateur golf tournament. It has been played since 1946 at the Country Club of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina. Several past champions have subsequently gained membership to the PGA Tour, including m ...

Porter Cup The Porter Cup is a 72-hole, medal-play elite amateur golf tournament held annually at the Niagara Falls Country Club in Lewiston, New York. It was first played in 1959 and over the years has hosted some of the biggest names in golf. Past champions ...

, North Carolina Amater *1978

Professional wins (2)

PGA Tour wins (1)

Other wins (1)

''this list may be incomplete'' *1974

Carolinas Open The Carolinas Open is a golf tournament played in the Carolinas, open to both amateur and professional golfers. It is run by the Carolinas section of the PGA of America. It has been played annually since 1923 at a variety of courses around both sta ...

(as an amateur)

Results in major championships

''Note: Heafner never played in

The Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later t ...

.''
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

U.S. national team appearances

Walker Cup The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested in odd-numbered years by leading male amateur golfers in two teams: United States, and Great Britain and Ireland. The official name is the Walker Cup Match (not "Matches" as in Ryder Cup Matches). It is ...

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrat ...

(winners)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Heafner, Vance American male golfers NC State Wolfpack men's golfers PGA Tour golfers PGA Tour Champions golfers Golfers from Charlotte, North Carolina People from Cary, North Carolina 1954 births 2012 deaths