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Masashi “Jumbo” Ozaki, arguably the greatest Japanese golfer of all time, died Tuesday at age 78 after battling colon cancer.
Ozaki won 113 tournaments around the world, 94 of them on the Japan Golf Tour, becoming an inspiration for 2021 Masters winner Hideki Matsuyama.
Ozaki became a fixture at Augusta National Golf Club in 1972, but did not compete there from 1980 to 1987.
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Jumbo Ozaki watches his shot from the finishing position during the 1998 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in April 1998 in Augusta, Georgia. (Augusta National/Getty Images)
Of his 49 major championship appearances, 19 were at the Masters, with his best finish coming in 1973, when he tied for eighth place.
Ozaki also earned a tie for tenth at the 1979 Open Championship and a tie for sixth at the 1989 US Open.
He rose to No. 5 in the world rankings in 1996 at age 49 and spent more than 200 consecutive weeks inside the top 10. Ozaki was often overlooked for never winning outside of Japan, except for the New Zealand PGA Championship. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011.
Jumbo Ozaki hits off the tee box in front of a large gallery during the 1990 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in April 1990 in Augusta, Georgia. (Augusta National/Getty Images)
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“He is an indispensable and unique figure in the debate around men’s golf, both now and in the future,” the tour said in a social media post.
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 in a row between 1994 and 1998. He won his last cash title in 2002, when he was 55 years old.
Jumbo Ozaki of Japan lines up his putt on the first green in the first round of the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. (David Cannon/ALLSPORT)
Ozaki played in the 1996 Presidents Cup, teaming with Vijay Singh to beat the American duo of Fred Couples and Davis Love III. He qualified for the 1998 team, but decided not to travel to Australia and his brother Joe played in his place.
