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 international victory came in 1972 at the New Zealand PGA Championship.
Most Successful Golfer in JGTO History
No golfer has dominated the Japanese golf scene like Ozaki. With 94 career wins, he leads the all-time JGTO list by 43 victories over second-place Isao Aoki. He also claimed the Japan Tour’s Order of Merit a record 12 times. 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. Though his international wins were limited, he posted top-10 finishes at the 1973 Masters, 1989 U.S. Open, and 1979 Open Championship.
A Unique Life On and Off the Course
Nicknamed ‘Jumbo’ for his 1.81 m, 90 kg frame and powerful drives, Ozaki thrilled fans with his all-or-nothing playing style and became a household name 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 at age 26 and captured his final title 29 years later at age 55.
Ozaki’s fame extended beyond golf. In the late 1980s, he launched a music career, releasing three singles that all charted in Japan.