Jim Colbert, the professional golfer famous for his bucket hat and eight PGA Tour victories, has died at the age of 85. The PGA Tour announced his passing on Sunday, though no cause of death was provided.
Early Life and Career
Born in New Jersey, Colbert attended Kansas State University on a football scholarship. After an injury ended his football aspirations, he turned to golf. He was runner-up in the NCAA Championship in 1964 and joined the PGA Tour two years later.
Colbert's signature bucket hat originated from a health scare. As a teenager playing a tournament in Kansas, he 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.
PGA Tour Success
Colbert won his first PGA Tour title at the 1969 Monsanto Invitational Open. His best season came in 1983, when he won twice and finished 15th on the money list. He also recorded top-5 finishes in majors, including a tie for fourth at the 1974 Masters and a tie for fifth at the U.S. Open that same year.
After turning 50, Colbert found further success on the PGA Tour Champions, winning 20 events. In 1996, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and underwent surgery. He returned to competitive golf two years later, winning The Transamerica.
Business Ventures and Legacy
Colbert was also a successful businessman. He purchased his first golf course in Las Vegas in 1980, and his company, Jim Colbert Golf, eventually owned 23 courses, employed 700 people, and generated $50 million in gross revenue.
He maintained strong ties to Kansas State University, where the men's and women's golf teams play at Colbert Hills Golf Club in Manhattan, Kansas. Colbert helped design the course, which opened in 2000.
Colbert was inducted 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.
