He was in the world top 10 for almost 10 years. This Tuesday, legendary golfer Masashi “Jumbo” Ozaki, inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011, died of colon cancer at the age of 78. The Japanese has won 94 victories on the Japanese circuit, his first title dating back to 1973. He has won a record 12 Order of Merit titles.
Nicknamed “Jumbo” because of the length of his tee shots, he was entered into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011. “Jumbo” Ozaki died “from stage 4 sigmoid colon cancer,” his son Tomoharu said on Wednesday.
He was diagnosed with the disease about a year ago. Since then, the former golfer has been receiving treatment at home, Tomoharu said, adding that his funeral will take place in the presence of close family.
“He dominated others with his unparalleled strength”
Masashi Ozaki “increased the popularity of golf (in Japan) explosively thanks to the power of his drive and his colorful personality,” the Yomiuri daily wrote Wednesday. The Japanese came from a family of talented golfers: his younger brothers Naomichi (Joe) and Tateo (Jet) are also both among the 20 biggest winners on the Japanese circuit.
In 2013, then aged 66, Masashi Ozaki accomplished the feat of “playing his age” (achieving a score less than or equal to his age), by returning a card of 62, nine shots under par during a national tournament. “It’s not necessarily a goal to play my age, but if you can’t play six or seven shots under par at this level, you have no business being on the circuit,” he said at the time.
Yutaka Morohoshi, president of the Japanese Tour Organization, said the industry had lost a “great” golfer. “He has long led men’s professional golf and dominated others with his unmatched strength,” he said in a statement posted on the organization’s website.
