Masashi “Jumbo” Ozaki, whose 113 wins around the world are the most of any player in Japan, died in his home country on Wednesday after a battle with colon cancer, the Japan Golf Tour said. He was 78 years old.
Ozaki was revered in Japan, a big hitter with a sense of style who won 94 times over 29 years on the Japan Golf Tour, the last coming at the ANA Open when he was 55.
In 1996, at the age of 49, he reached number 5 in the world rankings. Ozaki was often overlooked, having never won outside Japan except for the New Zealand PGA Championship. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011.
“He is an indispensable, unique figure in discussing men’s golf, now and in the future,” the Tour said in a social media post.
Ozaki competed in 49 major tournaments, his best performance coming at the 1989 US Open at Oak Hill when he finished three shots behind. curtis strangeHe played the Masters for the 19th and final time in 2000 when he was 53 and tied for 28th,
isao aoki Was the first Japanese player to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, and hideki matasuyama Became the first player to win a major at the 2021 Masters. Both were inspired in part by Ozaki, the country’s pioneer in golfing.
Ozaki won the Japan Open five times and the Japan PGA Championship six times. He led the Japan Golf Tour money list a record 12 times, including five consecutive times from 1994 to 1998. He won his last money title in 2002, when he was 55 years old.
When he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, Ozaki said he regretted not playing more outside Japan.
He said of his election, “But I have dedicated my life to Japanese golf and I am extremely grateful that the voters thought I was worthy of this honor.” He received 50% of the votes on the international ballot.
Ozaki was seen as Arnold Palmer Golf players in Japan, with their powerful swings, charisma and sense of style, often wear silk shirts and baggy pants. And his skills were not limited to golf only. According to the Hall of Fame, he played guitar and three songs reached the pop charts in Japan.
His first love was baseball and he spent three years pitching professionally before turning to golf. This became clear when Ryo IshikawaThe man, who won his first Japan Golf Tour title at the age of 15, spoke about Ozaki’s influence. Ishikawa said he would visit Ozaki about 10 times a year to seek advice.
“Jumbo used to be a baseball player, so he was always trying to teach me the link from pitching or hitting to golf,” Ishikawa said in a 2010 interview with the Associated Press. “Jumbo wanted me to hit the ball farther.”
When Ozaki played major venues outside Japan he traveled with an entourage, usually renting a house and bringing a sushi chef to make his entourage feel at home.
He has two younger brothers who also played on the tour, Naomichi (Joe) and Tato (Jett).
Ozaki played in partnership at the 1996 Presidents Cup Vijay Singh To defeat the American pair of fred couple And davis love iiiHe qualified for the 1998 team but decided not to travel to Australia and his brother Joe played in his place,
