Jim Colbert
American professional golfer (1941-2026)
James Joseph Colbert (March 9, 1941, May 10, 2026) was an American professional golfer.
01Early life and amateur career
Colbert was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, on March 9, 1941. He attended Kansas State University on a football scholarship, but after sustaining an injury he turned to golf. In 1964, he finished second in the NCAA golf championships. Colbert graduated in 1965.
02Professional career
In 1965, Colbert turned professional. Colbert won eight times on the PGA Tour, including twice in 1983 when he finished a career best fifteenth on the money list. He played in 44 major championships, collecting three top-five finishes.
As a senior Colbert won 20 tournaments on the Champions Tour, including a senior major championship, the 1993 Senior Players Championship.
Colbert worked as a golf analyst for ESPN and had his own golf course management company based in Pahrump, Nevada. He also helped design a golf course in Manhattan, Kansas, named Colbert Hills, which was ranked by Golfweek as the best public course in Kansas, and by Golf Digest as the eighth-best course overall in the state.
Colbert was known for wearing a distinctive bucket hat on the golf course.
Thoroughbred racing
With an interest in thoroughbred racing, in 1993 Colbert purchased a racemare named Fit to Lead in partnership with Connie Sczesny and the Chairman of Hollywood Park Racetrack, Randall D. Hubbard. Trained by U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Richard Mandella for the three partners, Fit to Lead won several graded stakes including the Princess Stakes at Hollywood Park plus at Churchill Downs, the Fleur de Lis Stakes and Louisville Budweiser Breeders' Cup Handicap.
03Death
Colbert died on May 10, 2026, at the age of 85.
04Awards and honors
Colbert is enshrined in the: Kansas State Athletic Hall of Fame (1991), Kansas Sports Hall of Fame (1998), Kansas City Golf Hall of Fame (2018), Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame (2019), and the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame (2000).
05Professional wins (35)
PGA Tour wins (8)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mar 18, 1969 | Monsanto Open Invitational | −17 (69-67-64-67=267) | 2 strokes | Deane Beman |
| 2 | Jul 16, 1972 | Greater Milwaukee Open | −13 (66-67-69-69=271) | 1 stroke | Buddy Allin, Chuck Courtney, George Johnson, Grier Jones |
| 3 | Mar 18, 1973 | Greater Jacksonville Open | −9 (70-65-71-73=279) | 1 stroke | Lou Graham, Johnny Miller, Dan Sikes, Jim Wiechers |
| 4 | Jun 23, 1974 | American Golf Classic | +1 (70-67-74-70=281) | Playoff | Gay Brewer, Forrest Fezler, Raymond Floyd |
| 5 | Oct 26, 1975 | Walt Disney World National Team Championship (with Dean Refram) |
−36 (63-63-62-64=252) | 3 strokes | Bobby Cole and John Schlee, Victor Regalado and Charlie Sifford |
| 6 | Feb 19, 1980 | Joe Garagiola-Tucson Open | −22 (66-68-66-70=270) | 4 strokes | Dan Halldorson |
| 7 | May 15, 1983 | Colonial National Invitation | −2 (69-67-70-72=278) | Playoff | Fuzzy Zoeller |
| 8 | Oct 2, 1983 | Texas Open | −19 (66-62-66-67=261) | 5 strokes | Mark Pfeil |
PGA Tour playoff record (2-0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1974 | American Golf Classic | Gay Brewer, Forrest Fezler, Raymond Floyd |
Won with par on second extra hole Brewer and Fezler eliminated by par on first hole |
| 2 | 1983 | Colonial National Invitation | Fuzzy Zoeller | Won with par on sixth extra hole |
Other wins (1)
Senior PGA Tour wins (20)
| Legend |
|---|
| Senior PGA Tour major championships (1) |
| Tour Championships (1) |
| Other Senior PGA Tour (18) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jun 30, 1991 | Southwestern Bell Classic | −9 (66-67-68=201) | 3 strokes | Al Geiberger, Larry Laoretti |
| 2 | Oct 6, 1991 | Vantage Championship | −11 (68-70-67=205) | 1 stroke | George Archer, Jim Dent, Gibby Gilbert |
| 3 | Dec 8, 1991 | First Development Kaanapali Classic | −15 (66-61-68=195) | 2 strokes | Dale Douglass |
| 4 | Feb 16, 1992 | GTE Suncoast Classic | −13 (66-70-64=200) | Playoff | George Archer |
| 5 | Oct 4, 1992 | Vantage Championship (2) | −12 (65-67=132) | 2 strokes | Jim Dent |
| 6 | Feb 7, 1993 | Royal Caribbean Classic | −14 (65-64-70=199) | 1 stroke | Raymond Floyd, Al Geiberger |
| 7 | Jun 27, 1993 | Ford Senior Players Championship | −10 (67-72-70-69=278) | 1 stroke | Raymond Floyd |
| 8 | Jul 10, 1994 | Kroger Senior Classic | −14 (66-64-69=199) | 2 strokes | Raymond Floyd |
| 9 | Jul 25, 1994 | Southwestern Bell Classic (2) | −14 (68-63-65=196) | 2 strokes | Isao Aoki, Larry Gilbert |
| 10 | Jan 15, 1995 | Senior Tournament of Champions | −7 (72-66-71=209) | Playoff | Jim Albus |
| 11 | Apr 30, 1995 | Las Vegas Senior Classic | −11 (65-71-69=205) | 2 strokes | Jim Dent, Raymond Floyd, Rocky Thompson |
| 12 | May 21, 1995 | Bell Atlantic Classic | −3 (68-71-68=207) | 1 stroke | J. C. Snead |
| 13 | Nov 6, 1995 | Energizer Senior Tour Championship | −6 (68-69-71-74=282) | 1 stroke | Raymond Floyd |
| 14 | Mar 17, 1996 | Toshiba Senior Classic | −12 (68-65-68=201) | 2 strokes | Bob Eastwood |
| 15 | Apr 28, 1996 | Las Vegas Senior Classic (2) | −9 (63-74-70=207) | Playoff | Bob Charles, Dave Stockton |
| 16 | May 12, 1996 | Nationwide Championship | −10 (71-66-69=206) | 3 strokes | Isao Aoki |
| 17 | Sep 29, 1996 | Vantage Championship (3) | −9 (65-70-69=204) | 1 stroke | Hale Irwin, Gary Player |
| 18 | Oct 20, 1996 | Raley's Gold Rush Classic | −14 (67-68-67=202) | 5 strokes | Dave Stockton |
| 19 | Oct 11, 1998 | The Transamerica | −11 (70-68-67=205) | 1 stroke | David Lundstrom |
| 20 | Mar 11, 2001 | SBC Senior Classic | −12 (67-67-70=204) | 1 stroke | José María Cañizares |
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (3-5)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1991 | Murata Reunion Pro-Am | Chi-Chi Rodríguez | Lost to par on fourth extra hole |
| 2 | 1992 | GTE Suncoast Classic | George Archer | Won with birdie on fourth extra hole |
| 3 | 1992 | Vintage ARCO Invitational | Tommy Aaron, Mike Hill | Hill won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 4 | 1993 | First of America Classic | George Archer, Chi-Chi Rodríguez | Archer won with par on third extra hole Rodríguez eliminated by par on first hole |
| 5 | 1994 | GTE West Classic | Jay Sigel | Lost to birdie on fourth extra hole |
| 6 | 1995 | Senior Tournament of Champions | Jim Albus | Won with birdie on third extra hole |
| 7 | 1996 | Las Vegas Senior Classic | Bob Charles, Dave Stockton | Won with par on fourth extra hole Charles eliminated by par on first hole |
| 8 | 1998 | Cadillac NFL Golf Classic | Bob Dickson, Larry Nelson | Dickson won with birdie on first extra hole |
Other senior wins (6)
- 1995 Diners Club Matches (with Bob Murphy)
- 1996 Diners Club Matches (with Bob Murphy)
- 2000 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Andy North)
- 2001 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf (with Andy North)
- 2013 Liberty Mutual Insurance Legends of Golf - Demaret Division (with Bob Murphy)
- 2014 Big Cedar Lodge Legends of Golf - Legends Division (with Jim Thorpe)
06Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | |||
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | |
| The Open Championship | |||
| PGA Championship | WD |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | T43 | T4 | CUT | T12 | T14 | T32 | |||
| U.S. Open | CUT | T3 | T63 | 10 | T5 | CUT | T55 | CUT | T41 | |
| The Open Championship | ||||||||||
| PGA Championship | CUT | T46 | CUT | T12 | T28 | T28 | T57 | 69 | T46 |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T14 | T25 | CUT | |||||
| U.S. Open | T47 | T26 | WD | T38 | CUT | |||
| The Open Championship | CUT | |||||||
| PGA Championship | T30 | T56 | T16 | T36 | T25 | CUT | CUT |
WD = withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut (3rd round cut in 1984 Open Championship)
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 7 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 16 | 9 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 17 | 12 |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 44 | 28 |
- Most consecutive cuts made, 10 (1978 PGA, 1982 PGA)
- Longest streak of top-10s, 2 (1974 Masters, 1974 U.S. Open)
07Results in The Players Championship
| Tournament | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | CUT | WD | T43 | CUT | 8 | T28 | T14 | T4 | CUT | 66 | T20 | T33 | T21 | WD |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place
08Senior major championships
Wins (1)
| Year | Championship | Winning score | Margin | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Ford Senior Players Championship | −10 (67-72-70-69=278) | 1 stroke | Raymond Floyd |
09U.S. national team appearances
Professional
- Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (representing Senior PGA Tour): 1996
- Gillette Tour Challenge Championship: 1997 (winners with Nick Price and Kelly Robbins)
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Jim Colbert”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Jim Colbert Yearbook photo 1962 (cropped).jpg by Kansas State University, Public domain
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