Japanese golf icon Masashi ‘Jumbo’ Ozaki has passed away at 78. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011.
Masashi ‘Jumbo’ Ozaki died on Tuesday at the age of 78 due to colon cancer. Ozaki claimed a record 94 victories on the Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO), including five Japan Open titles and six Japan PGA Championships. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011. His only win outside Japan came in 1972 at the New Zealand PGA Championship.
Most Successful Golfer in JGTO History
No other golfer has dominated Japanese golf like Ozaki. With 94 career wins, he leads the all-time list by a wide margin—43 more than second-place Isao Aoki. He also won the JGTO Order of Merit a record 12 times. Thanks to his domestic success, Ozaki spent 200 weeks in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking and played a key role in popularizing golf in Japan. While his international wins were limited, he still made his mark with top-10 finishes at the 1973 Masters, 1989 US Open, and 1979 Open Championship.
A Unique Life On and Off the Course
Nicknamed ‘Jumbo’ for his 1.81m height and 90kg frame, Ozaki was also known for his powerful drives and all-or-nothing playing style that thrilled Japanese fans. He was a major public figure in Japan.
Interestingly, Ozaki started as a promising baseball player, winning a national high school championship and playing professionally for three years. He switched to golf at 23 and won his first JGTO event in 1973 at age 26. He continued winning until age 55, claiming his final tour title nearly three decades later.
In the late 1980s, Ozaki leveraged his fame to launch a music career, releasing three singles that all charted in Japan.