Golf Hall of Famer Masashi 'Jumbo' Ozaki dead at 78 after cancer battle

Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki, arguably the top Japanese golfer of each time, died Tuesday astatine property 78 aft battling colon cancer.

Ozaki won 113 tournaments each implicit the world, 94 of them connected the Japan Golf Tour, becoming an inspiration to 2021 Masters victor Hideki Matsuyama.

Ozaki became a changeless astatine Augusta National Golf Club successful 1972, but helium did not vie determination from 1980 to 1987.

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Jumbo Ozaki watches his changeable from the decorativeness presumption during the 1998 Masters Tournament astatine Augusta National Golf Club connected April 1998 successful Augusta, Georgia.  (Augusta National/Getty Images)

Out of his 49 large title appearances, 19 were astatine the Masters, with his champion decorativeness coming successful 1973, erstwhile helium tied for eighth.

Ozaki besides earned a necktie for 10th astatine the 1979 Open Championship and a necktie for sixth astatine the 1989 U.S. Open.

He roseate to No. 5 successful the satellite ranking successful 1996 astatine property 49 and spent implicit 200 consecutive weeks wrong the apical 10. Ozaki was often overlooked for ne'er winning extracurricular Japan, but for the New Zealand PGA Championship. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame successful 2011.

Jumbo Ozaki hits disconnected the tee container successful beforehand of a ample assemblage during the 1990 Masters Tournament astatine Augusta National Golf Club successful April 1990 successful Augusta, Georgia.  (Augusta National/Getty Images)

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"He is an indispensable, one-of-a-kind fig successful discussing men’s golf, some present and successful the future," the circuit said successful a societal media post.

Ozaki won the Japan Open 5 times and the Japan PGA Championship six times. He led the Japan Golf Tour wealth database a grounds 12 times, including 5 successful a enactment from 1994 to 1998. He won his last wealth rubric successful 2002, erstwhile helium was 55.

Jumbo Ozaki of Japan lines up his putt connected the archetypal greenish successful the archetypal circular of the PGA Championship astatine the Valhalla Golf Club successful Louisville, Kentucky,  (David Cannon/ALLSPORT)

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Ozaki played successful the 1996 Presidents Cup, partnering with Vijay Singh to bushed the American duo of Fred Couples and Davis Love III. He qualified for the 1998 squad but decided against the travel to Australia, and his member Joe played instead.

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