Japanese golf icon Masashi ‘Jumbo’ Ozaki has died at the age of 78. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011.
Masashi ‘Jumbo’ Ozaki passed away on Tuesday at the age of 78 due to colon cancer. Ozaki won a record 94 tournaments 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 victory outside Japan came at the 1972 New Zealand PGA Championship.
JGTO’s Most Successful Golfer
No golfer in Japanese history has been as dominant as Ozaki. His 94 JGTO wins are 43 more than second-place Isao Aoki. He also claimed the Japan Tour’s Order of Merit 12 times, another record. Thanks to his domestic success, Ozaki spent a total of 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 posted 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 known for his powerful drives and all-or-nothing playing style, which made him a beloved figure in Japan. His path to golf was unconventional—he was a promising baseball player who won a national high school championship and played professionally for three years before switching to golf at age 23. He won his first JGTO event in 1973 and continued winning until age 55, capturing his final title 29 years later.
Ozaki’s fame extended beyond golf. In the late 1980s, he launched a music career, releasing three singles that all charted in Japan.