Jim Colbert, known for his signature bucket hat and for winning eight PGA Tour titles and 20 PGA Tour Champions events, has died at age 85, the PGA Tour announced. Colbert passed away on Sunday. The PGA Tour did not disclose a cause of death.
As a teenager competing in Kansas, Colbert nearly collapsed from sunstroke. Doctors advised him to wear a hat for protection, and he chose a bucket hat, which became his trademark throughout his career.
Born in New Jersey, Colbert attended Kansas State on a football scholarship. After an injury, he focused on golf, finishing as runner-up in the 1964 NCAA Championship. He joined the PGA Tour two years later.
Colbert’s Legacy
Colbert secured his first PGA Tour title at the 1969 Monsanto Invitational Open. In 1974, he finished tied for fourth at the Masters and tied for fifth at the U.S. Open at Winged Foot. His best PGA Tour season was in 1983, when he won twice and ranked 15th on the money list.
Diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1996, Colbert underwent surgery and returned to competition two years later, winning The Transamerica.
Colbert maintained strong ties to Kansas State. He helped design Colbert Hills Golf Club in Manhattan, Kansas, which opened in 2000 and serves as the home course for the university’s men’s and women’s golf teams. He was inducted into the State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991 and the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1998.
In his later years, Colbert lived in Las Vegas and was active in business. According to the PGA Tour, he purchased his first golf course there in 1980. His company, Jim Colbert Golf, eventually owned 23 courses, employed 700 people, and generated $50 million in revenue.
A recent report said Colbert was the former manager of Las Vegas Municipal Golf Course. Colbert was a key figure in making the 1983 Las Vegas Pro-Celebrity Classic, now known as the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, the first million-dollar purse in PGA Tour history.
The Shriners event ended in 2024 after 41 years. Colbert was inducted into the Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame in 2019.
Eric Butler is a Contributor for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on Instagram and X via @ReportandOpine
