Japanese golf icon Masashi ‘Jumbo’ Ozaki has died at age 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 after battling colorectal cancer. Ozaki holds a record 94 victories on the Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO), including five Japan Open titles and six Japan PGA Championships. In 2011, he was honored with induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame. His only win outside Japan came in 1972 at the New Zealand PGA Championship.
Most Successful Golfer in JGTO History
Ozaki remains the most dominant figure in Japanese golf history. His 94 career wins are 43 more than second-place Isao Aoki, and he claimed the JGTO Order of Merit a record 12 times. Thanks to his domestic success, Ozaki spent 200 weeks ranked in the world’s top 10 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 1.81m, 90kg frame and powerful drives, Ozaki thrilled Japanese crowds with his all-or-nothing playing style and became a household name. 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 his last 29 years later at 55.
In the late 1980s, Ozaki also ventured into music, releasing three singles that charted in Japan, further cementing his status as a cultural icon.