Clayton Vance Heafner Jr. (August 11, 1954 – September 26, 2012) was an American

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

who played on the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...

, the

Nationwide Tour The Korn Ferry Tour is the developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have either not yet reached the PGA Tour, or who have done so but then failed to win enough FedEx Cup points to stay at that level. ...

and the

Champions Tour PGA Tour Champions (formerly the Senior PGA Tour and the Champions Tour) is a men's professional senior golf tour, open to golfers age 50 and over, administered as a branch of the PGA Tour. History and format The Senior PGA Championship, f ...

Early life

Heafner was born in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

. 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 County, North Carolina, Wake, Chatham County, North Carolina, Chatham, and Durham County, North Carolina, Durham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina and is part of the Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh-Cary, NC M ...

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 North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and p ...

and was a three-time

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

member of the

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

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– ...

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 The Walt Disney World Golf Classic was an annual golf tournament on the PGA Tour. The tournament was played on the Palm and Magnolia courses at the Walt Disney World Resort. It was played under several names, reflecting sponsorship changes. The ...

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 The UNC Health Championship (formerly Rex Hospital Open) is a regular golf tournament on the Korn Ferry Tour. It is played annually at the Raleigh Country Club in Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United Sta ...

. 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 The SAS Championship is a golf tournament on the PGA Tour Champions. It is played annually in the autumn in Cary, North Carolina at the Prestonwood Country Club. SAS Institute SAS Institute (or SAS, pronounced "sass") is an American multin ...

. 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, 14 tennis courts, 4 pick ...

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

Raleigh Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

Amateur wins

*1976

Eastern Amateur The Eastern Amateur is an annual amateur golf tournament. It has been played at Elizabeth Manor Golf and Country Club in Portsmouth, Virginia since 1957; the only exceptions were in 1977 when it was played at Sleepy Hole Golf Course in Suffolk, Virg ...

*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 Men ...

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 champion ...

, North Carolina Amateur *1978

Professional wins (3)

PGA Tour wins (1)

T. C. Jordan 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 th ...

.''
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 featuring players from the United Kingdom and Ireland. The official name is the Walker Cup ...

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, 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 (no ...

(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 Sportspeople from Cary, North Carolina 1954 births 2012 deaths 20th-century American sportsmen