Masashi Ozaki

Masashi Ozaki (尾崎 将司, Ozaki Masashi) was a Japanese professional golfer. Ozaki is often known as Jumbo Ozaki (ジャンボ尾崎 Janbo Ozaki) on account of his height and length off the tee. He featured in the top ten of the Official World Golf Rankings for almost 200 weeks between 1989 and 1998.^[1] He is the most successful player of all time on the Japan Golf Tour, having led the money list a record 12 times and won 94 tournaments, over 40 more than the second highest player. Ozaki was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011.^[2]

Career

Ozaki was born in Kaifu District, Tokushima, on 24 January 1947.

He was a professional baseball pitcher/outfielder from 1965 to 1967 with the Nishitetsu Lions.^[3][4][5][6] However, he turned to professional golf at the age of 23 and won the Japan PGA Championship the following year.

Ozaki led the Japan Golf Tour in earnings in 1973–1974, 1977, 1988–1990, 1992, and 1994–1998. Ozaki finished 8th at the 1973 Masters Tournament and finished 6th at the 1989 U.S. Open. He competed at the Masters 19 times. He played occasionally on the PGA Tour from 1972 to 2000, in 96 tournaments, though never more than nine in one year. In these starts, his best finish was a T-4 at the 1993 Memorial Tournament.^[7][8] Ozaki played on the International Team in the 1996 Presidents Cup. Ozaki built "AON Age" with his rivals Isao Aoki and Tsuneyuki "Tommy" Nakajima.

As late as 2019, he still played occasionally on the Japan Golf Tour.^[9]

Personal life and death

Ozaki's brothers Tateo "Jet" Ozaki and Naomichi "Joe" Ozaki were also professional golfers, both having played and won on the Japan Golf Tour.^[10][11]

Ozaki died of colorectal cancer on 23 December 2025, at the age of 78.^[12][13][14]

Awards and honors

• Ozaki won the Japan Golf Tour money list 12 times: in 1973, 1974, 1977, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, and 1998
• In 2011, Ozaki was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.^[2]

Professional wins (114)

Japan Golf Tour wins (94)

¹Co-sanctioned by the Asia Golf Circuit

Japan Golf Tour playoff record (12–9)

Asia Golf Circuit wins (4)

¹Co-sanctioned by the PGA of Japan Tour

Asia Golf Circuit playoff record (1–1)

New Zealand Golf Circuit wins (1)

Other Japan wins (18)

• 1971 (5) Japan PGA Championship, Nippon Series, Golf Digest Tournament, Miki Gold Cup (tie with Billy Casper), Setouchi Series Hiroshima leg
• 1972 (9) Wizard Tournament, Sapporo Open, Kanto Open, All Nippon Doubles, Nippon Series, Grand Monarch Tournament, First Flight Tournament, Chiba Open, Asahi International
• 1976 Chiba Open
• 1984 Kanagawa Open
• 1985 Kanagawa Open
• 1992 Sanko Grand Summer Tournament

Other wins (1)

Results in major championships

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary

• Most consecutive cuts made – 5 (twice)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 1 (three times)

Results in The Players Championship

CUT = missed the halfway cut
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Team appearances

This list may be incomplete.

• World Cup (representing Japan): 1974, 1988
• Four Tours World Championship: (representing Japan) 1986 (winners), 1987, 1989
• Presidents Cup (International team): 1996

See also

• List of golfers with most Japan Golf Tour wins
• Jumbo Ozaki no Hole In One - Famicom and Super Famicom video game

Notes

1. ^ Shortened to 54 holes due to weather.

References

1. ^ "69 Players Who Have Reached the Top-10 in World Ranking" (PDF). dps.endavadigital.net. Archived from the original on 4 February 2012.
2. ^ "Ozaki joins 2011 class of World Golf Hall of Fame". PGA Tour. 6 October 2010. Archived 1 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
3. ^ "battingOtsuji-Ozeki". Japan Baseball Daily. Archived from the original on July 25, 2008.
4. ^ "Pacific League Team Stats 1965". Japan Baseball Daily. Archived from the original on May 1, 2010.
5. ^ "Pacific League Team Stats 1966". Japan Baseball Daily. Archived from the original on May 1, 2010.
6. ^ "Pacific League Team Stats 1967". Japan Baseball Daily. Archived from the original on 27 August 2009.
7. ^ Sal Johnson and Dave Seanor (eds.) (2009). The USA Today Golfers Encyclopedia. New York, New York: Skyhorse Publishing. pp. 417–418. ISBN 978-1-60239-302-8.
8. ^ "Masashi Jumbo Ozaki". PGA Tour.
9. ^ "Jumbo Ozaki decided to make his 4th WD of the season at Mynavi ABC Championship". Japan Golf Tour Organization. 1 November 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
10. ^ "Ozaki Brothers Dominate Japan's PGA Tour". Los Angeles Times. 12 March 1989. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
11. ^ "日本一の尾崎3兄弟。兄ジャンボを追いかけプロになった健夫と直道が惜別" [Japan's famed Ozaki brothers: Tateo and Naomichi, who became pros in pursuit of their eldest brother Jumbo, say an emotional goodbye] (in Japanese). Japan Golf Tour Organization. 24 December 2025. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
12. ^ "Golf legend Masashi 'Jumbo' Ozaki dies at 78". The Japan Times. 24 December 2025. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
13. ^ Ferguson, Doug (23 December 2025). "Jumbo Ozaki dies of cancer at age 78. He had the most wins of any Japanese golfer". Associated Press News. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
14. ^ "Golf Hall of Famer Masashi 'Jumbo' Ozaki of Japan dies at 78". ESPN. Associated Press. 23 December 2025.