Legendary Japanese golfer 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 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 in 1972 at the New Zealand PGA Championship.
Japan’s Most Successful Golfer
No golfer has dominated Japanese golf like Ozaki. With 94 career wins, he leads second-place Isao Aoki by 43 victories. He also won the JGTO 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 the sport in Japan. Despite limited wins abroad, he posted top-10 finishes at the 1973 Masters, the 1989 U.S. Open, and the 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 fan favorite in Japan. His journey to golf was unconventional—he was a promising baseball talent, winning a national high school championship and playing professionally for three years before switching to golf at age 23. He won his first JGTO event in 1973 at age 26 and continued winning until 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.