Japan’s most successful professional golfer, Masashi “Jumbo” Ozaki, has died at the age of 78.
Ozaki, nicknamed Jumbo because of his long shots off the tee, won 94 times on the Japan Tour and was the top scorer in Japan 12 times.
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He remained in the top 10 of the golf rankings for nearly 200 weeks and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011.
“Golf has long been popular in Japan, but it was Ozaki who brought new vitality to the game, and his arrival brought unprecedented growth to golf in this country,” his profile on the World Golf Hall of Fame website states.
Ozaki was a professional baseball player before switching to golf, winning his first championship in 1973 at the age of 26 and his last at the age of 55.
He has finished in the top 10 at the British Open, Masters and US Open, and when he played away from Japan he would take a sushi chef with him “so he and his entourage could feel more at home outside of their homeland.”
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Ozaki also tried his hand at singing, and in the late 1980s three singles ranked in Japanese charts.
According to a statement posted on the Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO) website, Ozaki’s son, Tomoharu, announced that his father had passed away after being diagnosed with colon cancer about a year ago.
JGTO Chairman Hiroshi Morohoshi said, “The golf world has lost a truly great man.”
“He led the world of men’s professional golf for a long time, overwhelming others with his unparalleled strength.”
