Japanese golf icon 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 due to colon cancer. Ozaki claimed a record 94 victories 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 win outside of Japan came at the 1972 New Zealand PGA Championship.
Most Successful Golfer in JGTO History
No golfer in Japanese history has matched Ozaki’s dominance. His 94 JGTO wins are 43 more than second-place Isao Aoki, and he won the tour’s Order of Merit a record 12 times. Ozaki spent 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 victories were limited, 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, as well as his powerful drives, Ozaki thrilled Japanese crowds with his all-or-nothing playing style and became a household name. His path to golf was unusual—he was a promising baseball player, 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 26 and continued winning until age 55, claiming his final title 29 years 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.