Golf Icon And Eight-Time PGA Tour Winner Jim Colbert Dies At 85

The golf world is mourning another major loss from one of the sport's most recognisable generations. Long before modern PGA Tour stars turned branding into a business, Jim Colbert had already become instantly identifiable to fans through his trademark bucket hat and gritty longevity on the course. Now, following confirmation of his death at 85, tributes are pouring in for a player whose career stretched across decades of PGA Tour and Champions Tour history while also leaving a lasting mark away from competitive golf.

Colbert died on Sunday, with the PGA Tour confirming the news. No cause of death has been announced. Beyond his big wins and major championship performances, many golf fans remembered him as one of the sport's most resilient figures after overcoming health setbacks and building a successful business empire linked closely to golf course ownership.

Jim Colbert's PGA Tour Career Made Him One Of Golf's Most Recognizable Figures

The famous bucket hat that became part of Colbert's identity actually began because of a frightening health scare during his teenage years. While playing in a Kansas tournament in 1957, he nearly collapsed from sunstroke. Doctors later advised him to wear a hat for protection, leading him to adopt the look that stayed with him throughout his golfing career. Before fully committing to golf, Colbert initially attended Kansas State University on a football scholarship. An injury eventually pushed him towards golf full-time, and the decision transformed his future. He finished runner-up at the NCAA Championship in 1964 before turning professional two years later.

Success soon followed on the PGA Tour. Colbert claimed his first tour victory at the Monsanto Invitational Open in 1969 and later became one of the tour's consistent performers during the 1970s and 1980s. His best major championship results came in 1974 when he tied for fourth at The Masters and finished tied for fifth at the U.S. Open at Winged Foot.

One of his strongest seasons arrived in 1983, when he won twice and climbed to 15th on the PGA Tour money list with earnings of $223,810.

Jim Colbert's Cancer Comeback And Golf Business Legacy

Away from PGA Tour competition, Colbert built one of golf's more impressive business stories. After purchasing a golf course in Las Vegas in 1980, he launched Jim Colbert Golf, which eventually expanded into a company owning 23 courses and employing around 700 people while generating close to $50 million in revenue.His influence on the game continued long after his peak playing years. Colbert entered the Kansas State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991, the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1998 and later the Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame in 2019.

Health challenges tested him again after a prostate cancer diagnosis in 1996, but Colbert refused to disappear quietly from the golf world. Following surgery, he returned to professional golf within two years and won The Transamerica on the Champions Tour. Even in later life, Colbert remained closely connected to Kansas State University through Colbert Hills Golf Club in Manhattan, a course he helped design before its opening in 2000. His impact on PGA Tour history, golf business and the wider sport now leaves behind a legacy far bigger than the famous bucket hat that first made him instantly recognisable.