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 due to colorectal 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 victory outside of 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 JGTO wins are 43 more than second-place Isao Aoki, and he claimed the 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. While his international wins were limited, he still 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-meter, 90-kilogram frame and powerful drives, Ozaki thrilled Japanese crowds with his all-or-nothing playing style and became a household name. Before turning to golf, he was a rising baseball star, winning a national high school championship and playing professionally for three years. He switched to golf at age 23 and won his first JGTO title in 1973 at 26. His final tour win came 29 years later at age 55.
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.