The world of golf has lost a true original. Jim Colbert, the eight-time PGA Tour winner instantly recognizable by his signature bucket hat, passed away on Sunday at the age of 85. The PGA Tour confirmed the news, though no cause of death was given.
Colbert's iconic headwear wasn't just a fashion statement—it was born out of necessity. As a teenager competing in a tournament in Kansas, he nearly collapsed from sunstroke. Doctors insisted he protect himself, and he chose a bucket hat. That simple decision would become his trademark for decades to come.
A New Jersey native, Colbert initially played football on scholarship at Kansas State before an injury shifted his focus entirely to golf. He finished runner-up in the 1964 NCAA Championship and joined the PGA Tour two years later. His first victory came in 1969 at the Monsanto Invitational Open, and he went on to notch eight tour wins, including a standout 1983 season where he won twice and ranked 15th on the money list.
Colbert also left his mark on the majors, posting top-five finishes in both the 1974 Masters (tied for fourth) and the 1974 U.S. Open at Winged Foot (tied for fifth). His resilience was remarkable: after being diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1996 and undergoing surgery, he returned to competition just two years later to win The Transamerica.
Off the course, Colbert built an impressive business empire. He purchased his first golf course in Las Vegas in 1980, and Jim Colbert Golf eventually grew to own 23 courses, employing 700 people with gross revenues of $50 million. His legacy lives on at Colbert Hills Golf Club in Manhattan, Kansas, which he helped design and opened in 2000—now the home course for Kansas State's men's and women's golf teams.
Colbert's honors include induction into the Kansas State Athletic Hall of Fame (1991), the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame (1998), and the Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame (2019). He spent his later years in Las Vegas, leaving behind a legacy of grit, style, and entrepreneurial spirit that will be remembered by golf fans everywhere.