12/23/25 10:29:00
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12/23 22:26 CST Jumbo Ozaki dies of cancer at age 78. He had the most wins of
any Japanese golfer
Jumbo Ozaki dies of cancer at age 78. He had the most wins of any Japanese
golfer
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki, whose 113 worldwide victories were the most of any
player from Japan, died Wednesday in his home country after a battle with colon
cancer, the Japan Golf Tour said. He was 78.
Ozaki was revered in Japan, a big hitter with a sense of style who won 94 times
over 29 years on the Japan Golf Tour, the last one coming at the ANA Open when
he was 55.
He rose to No. 5 in the world ranking in 1996 at age 49. Ozaki often got
overlooked for never winning outside Japan except for the New Zealand PGA
Championship. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011.
"He is an indispensable, one-of-a-kind figure in discussing men's golf, both
now and in the future," the tour said in a social media post.
Ozaki competed in 49 majors, his best finish coming in the 1989 U.S. Open at
Oak Hill when he finished three shots behind Curtis Strange. He played the
Masters for the 19th and final time in 2000 when he was 53 and tied for 28th.
Isao Aoki was the first Japanese player in the World Golf Hall of Fame, and
Hideki Matsuyama became the first to win a major at the 2021 Masters. Both were
inspired in some fashion by Ozaki, the pioneer in a nation now obsessed with
golf.
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
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