Vance Heafner

Vance Heafner
Personal information
Full nameClayton Vance Heafner Jr.
Born(1954-08-11)August 11, 1954
Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
DiedSeptember 26, 2012(2012-09-26) (aged 58)
Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight170 lb (77 kg; 12 st)
Sporting nationality United States
Career
CollegeNorth Carolina State University
Turned professional1978
Former tour(s)PGA Tour
T. C. Jordan Tour
Champions Tour
Professional wins3
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour1
Other2
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT45: 1978
PGA ChampionshipT11: 1981
U.S. OpenT52: 1993
The Open ChampionshipDNP

Clayton Vance Heafner Jr. (August 11, 1954 – September 26, 2012) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour, the Nationwide Tour and the Champions Tour.[1]

Early life

Heafner was born in Charlotte, North Carolina.[2] He was the son of professional golfer Clayton Heafner and Mary Ellen Allen.[2]

The family moved to Cary, North Carolina where he attended Cary Elementary School and Cary High School.[2]

He attended North Carolina State University and was a three-time All-American member of the golf team.[2] Heafner played on the 1977 Walker Cup 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 in Cary, and most recently a teaching pro at Wildwood Golf Club in Raleigh.

Amateur wins

Professional wins (3)

PGA Tour wins (1)

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory 		Runners-up
1 Oct 25, 1981 Walt Disney World National Team Championship
(with United States Mike Holland) 		−42 (60-62-61-63=246) 5 strokes United States Chip Beck and United States Rex Caldwell

T. C. Jordan Tour wins (1)

No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory 		Runners-up
1 Aug 11, 1991 Hampton Inn Classic −13 (69-70-66-68=273) 2 strokes United States Marion Dantzler, United States Eric Manning

Other wins (1)

this list may be incomplete

Results in major championships

Tournament 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993
Masters Tournament T45
U.S. Open CUT CUT CUT T53 CUT T52
PGA Championship T11 T54 T47 CUT

Note: Heafner never played in The Open Championship.

  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

U.S. national team appearances

See also

References

  1. ^ Alexander, Chip (September 26, 2012). "Heafner, three-time NCSU golf All-America, dies at 58". The News & Observer. Archived from the original on September 28, 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d "Vance Heafner Obituary - Raleigh, NC". Dignity Memorial. Retrieved July 12, 2022.