Japanese golf icon Masashi ‘Jumbo’ Ozaki has died at 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. In 2011, he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. His only win outside Japan came at the 1972 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 Japan Tour’s 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 pivotal role in popularizing golf in Japan. While his international victories were limited, he had strong showings at major championships, finishing in the top 10 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-meter, 90-kilogram frame and powerful drives, Ozaki thrilled Japanese fans with his all-or-nothing playing style and became a household name in his home country.
His path to golf was unconventional. Initially a promising baseball talent, Ozaki 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 continued winning until age 55, when he claimed his final title 29 years later.
Capitalizing on his fame, Ozaki also launched a music career in the late 1980s, releasing three singles that all charted in Japan.