Masashi ‘Jumbo’ Ozaki, Japan’s greatest golfer, dies at age 78

Masashi Ozaki, widely considered Japan’s greatest golfer, has died from cancer. He was 78.\nThe Japan Golf Tour Organisation said Ozaki had been diagnosed with sigmoid colon cancer about a year ago and had succumbed to the disease on Tuesday.\nOften referred to as “Jumbo” because of his length off the tee, Ozaki first started his career as a baseball player, playing for the Seibu Lions from 1965. However, he eventually transitioned to golf, turning professional at 23 years old and winning the Japan PGA Championship the next season.\n“What made him charismatic was the fact that he won four times in which he came back from eight shots behind,” the JGTO website said of Ozaki. “He performed miraculously a number of times.”\nOzaki won 114 tournaments over the course of his career. In 1973, he became the first Japanese golfer to rank in the top 10 at the Masters, finishing eighth. He won the money title a total of 12 times, including five consecutive years starting in 1994. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011.\n\n“I am very happy, very honoured and appreciate everyone who has supported me since I turned pro in 1970,” Ozaki said when he was elected. “My only regret is not playing more outside of Japan, but I dedicated my life to Japanese golf and am extremely grateful the voters thought I was worthy of this honour.”\nWhile he never won in the United States, he competed in 19 Masters and 13 US Opens, and represented the International team at the 1996 Presidents Cup. He was ranked world No 5 for part of his career, and he and Isao Aoki are the only men of Japanese descent in the Hall of Fame.\n“Ozaki is often thought to be to Japanese golf what Arnold Palmer is to American golf,” the World Golf Hall of Fame website said. “His success has spawned an entire generation of Japanese golf professionals, both male and female.”\n