Japanese Hall of Fame golfer 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 after a battle with 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 Japanese golf like Ozaki. With 94 career wins, he stands 43 victories ahead of second-place Isao Aoki. He also 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 wins abroad were limited, he recorded 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 path to golf was unconventional—originally a promising baseball talent, he 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, claiming his final title nearly three decades later.
Ozaki also ventured into music in the late 1980s, releasing three singles that all charted in Japan, further cementing his status as a cultural icon.