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Clayton Heafner

United States · born , Charlotte, North Carolina, USA · died

3.5Ryder Cup points from 4 matches

Summary

  • Ryder Cup 2 Cups · 3-0-1 · 3.5 points (87.5%)
  • Singles 1-0-1 · Foursomes 2-0-0 · Four-ball 0-0-0
  • Best major finish runner-up, 1949 U.S. Open and 1951 U.S. Open

Near misses

  1. 1949 U.S. Open Medinah C.C. · runner-up to Cary Middlecoff
  2. 1951 U.S. Open Oakland Hills C.C. · runner-up to Ben Hogan

Ryder Cup

2 Cups, 4 matches: 3 won, 0 lost, 1 halved, 3.5 points. Foursomes 2-0-0, four-ball 0-0-0, singles 1-0-1.

  1. 1949 Ganton Golf Club USA · USA won 7–5 · 2-0-0, 2 points
  2. 1951 Pinehurst Resort, Course No. 2 USA · USA won 9.5–2.5 · 1-0-1, 1.5 points

Rivals

Beat him

Ryder Cup partners

Ryder Cup opponents

Next in the chain: Cary Middlecoff's rivals →

Results by championship

    Best day

    1951 U.S. Open

    Runner-up to Ben Hogan.

    Chosen by rule: the most recent of the best major finishes. Year page: 1951.

    Career line, 1949–1951

    U.S. Open
    1949 U.S. Open: runner-up to Cary Middlecoff1951 U.S. Open: runner-up to Ben Hogan
    Ryder Cup
    1949 Ryder Cup (USA): 2-0-01951 Ryder Cup (USA): 1-0-1
    1949195019511952

    4 results. Hover or tap a mark; click it for the year.

    • Runner-up
    • Ryder Cup, USA

    Clayton Heafner was born on July 20, 1914, in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. Heafner's best major finish was second, at the 1949 U.S. Open and the 1951 U.S. Open. Heafner played in 2 Ryder Cups for USA (1949, 1951), winning 3, losing 0 and halving 1 of 4 matches for 3.5 points.

    See Clayton Heafner in our rooms: U.S. Open, Greatest Golfer by State and Every Ground.

    Cards you pull this visit stack here. Tap one to go back to it.

    The record

    Near misses

    1. 1949 U.S. Open Medinah C.C. · runner-up to Cary Middlecoff
    2. 1951 U.S. Open Oakland Hills C.C. · runner-up to Ben Hogan

    U.S. Open top-10 finishes in his career: 2 (GNN U.S. Open room data).

    Ryder Cup

    Heafner played 2 Ryder Cups for USA: 4 matches, 3 won, 0 lost, 1 halved, 3.5 points (87.5% of those available). By format: foursomes 2-0-0, four-ball 0-0-0, singles 1-0-1 (won-lost-halved).

    1. 1949 Ganton Golf Club USA · USA won 7–5 · 2-0-0, 2 points
    2. 1951 Pinehurst Resort, Course No. 2 USA · USA won 9.5–2.5 · 1-0-1, 1.5 points

    Partners, with matches played together: Jimmy Demaret (1), Jack Burke Jr. (1).

    PGA Championship match play

    Every recorded match in our bracket file, 1916–1957: 4 won, 4 lost.

    1. 1946 Round of 64 lost to Al Nelson 2 & 1
    2. 1947 Round of 64 beat Jack Isaacs won on 19th hole
    3. 1947 Round of 32 lost to Chick Harbert won on 20th hole
    4. 1949 Round of 64 beat Tony Manero 6 & 5
    5. 1949 Round of 32 beat Claude Harmon 2 & 1
    6. 1949 Round of 16 beat Jack Patroni 5 & 4
    7. 1949 Quarterfinal lost to Jim Ferrier 3 & 2
    8. 1951 Round of 64 lost to Chick Harbert won on 22nd hole

    Sources

    Every fact on this page comes from Golf Network News data sets compiled in October 2026 (Masters, PGA Championship, The Open, U.S. Women's Open, Ryder Cup, PGA Tour 2024–2026, major host sites, Champions Dinner menus, and the U.S. Open and state rooms). These are the sources those rows cite.

    1. WP: List of American Ryder Cup golfers
    2. PGA of America 2013 media guide, p. 86
    3. Golf Compendium 1949
    4. GC: 1949 ryder cup
    5. Wikipedia: 1949 Ryder Cup
    6. GC: 1951 ryder cup
    7. Wikipedia: 1951 Ryder Cup