Jim Colbert, who was known for sporting a bucket hat during his stretch of eights wins on the PGA Tour and another 20 on the Champions tour, has passed away, according to an announcement from the PGA Tour. He was 85 years old.
Colbert’s death came Sunday, with the PGA not naming the cause. (RELATED: Bryson DeChambeau Pivoting To YouTube, ‘Tournaments That Want Me’ If LIV Golf Comes To End)
When he was a teenager, Colbert played a tournament that was in Kansas, but he almost collapsed during it as a result of sunstroke. This led doctors to make the suggestion to Colbert to start sporting a hat to provide protection. Colbert picked a bucket hat, and it was his trademark during his PGA tour career
Colbert, who was born in New Jersey, attended Kansas State on a scholarship and played for the Wildcats football program. Following an injury, he shifted his focus over to golf, and ended up finishing in second place in the 1964 NCAA championship. Colbert was playing on the PGA Tour two years later.
Jim Colbert, an eight-time PGA TOUR winner who added 20 titles on PGA TOUR Champions, died Sunday at 85.
Colbert, born in New Jersey, played golf and football in his youth and received a football scholarship to Kansas State University. An injury ended his football career and he… pic.twitter.com/vjLaPOzwgS
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) May 11, 2026
Colbert’s first victory on the PGA Tour came in the Monsanto Invitational Open in 1969. In 1974, he finished in the top 5 twice in a set of majors, getting a tie for fourth in the Masters and a T-5 in the U.S. Open.
1983 was Colbert’s best campaign on the PGA Tour, with him racking up two wins and finishing 15th on the money list.
In 1996, Colbert was issued a diagnosis of prostate cancer, ultimately having surgery to get his prostate removed. Two years later, he began playing again, which eventually led him to getting a win at The Transamerica.
The Kansas State Athletic Hall of Fame inducted Colbert in 1991, and then in 1998, he would go on to be placed in the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. Two decades later in 2019, he was inducted into the Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame.