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]
| Vance Heafner | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Clayton Vance Heafner Jr. |
| Born | August 11, 1954 Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | September 26, 2012 (aged 58) Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st) |
| Sporting nationality |  United States |
| Career | |
| College | North Carolina State University |
| Turned professional | 1978 |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour T. C. Jordan Tour Champions Tour |
| Professional wins | 3 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 1 |
| Other | 2 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | T45: 1978 |
| PGA Championship | T11: 1981 |
| U.S. Open | T52: 1993 |
| The Open Championship | DNP |
Early life
editHeafner 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
editHeafner 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
edit- 1976 Eastern Amateur
- 1977 Azalea Invitational, Porter Cup, North Carolina Amateur
- 1978 Eastern Amateur
Professional wins (3)
editPGA Tour wins (1)
edit| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oct 25, 1981 | Walt Disney World National Team Championship (with  Mike Holland)
|
−42 (60-62-61-63=246) | 5 strokes | Chip Beck and Rex Caldwell
|
T. C. Jordan Tour wins (1)
edit| 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 | Marion Dantzler, Eric Manning
|
Other wins (1)
editthis list may be incomplete
- 1974 Carolinas Open (as an amateur)
Results in major championships
edit| 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.
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
U.S. national team appearances
edit- Walker Cup: 1977 (winners)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c d "Vance Heafner Obituary - Raleigh, NC". Dignity Memorial. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
External links
edit- Vance Heafner at the PGA Tour official site