Justin Rose mourns the loss of golf icon Masashi “Jumbo” Ozaki with a heartfelt message

Justin Rose has paid tribute to Japanese golf legend Masashi “Jumbo” Ozaki following news of his death. Ozaki, widely regarded as the most successful professional golfer in Japanese history, has died at the age of 78 after a battle with colon cancer, the Japan Golf Tour (JGTO) has confirmed.

JGTO announced Ozaki’s death via its official

“Rest in peace Jumbo… What a player and gentleman. 🙏”

Although Rose and Jumbo never played against each other, mainly because their peak years and tour schedules were different, Rose’s letter demonstrated the level of respect Ozaki held throughout the golf world. He has been a dominant force on the Japan Golf Tour for many years and has won The Crowns Championship three times. Rose later won the same event in 2002.

Known as “Jumbo” for his power off the field, Ozaki had a legendary career built on consistency and longevity. He has recorded 113 professional wins worldwide, the most by any Japanese golfer. This included 94 victories on the Japan Golf Tour over 29 years. His last win came at the ANA Open at the age of 55.

How Masashi “Jumbo” Ozaki built his legendary golf career

Masashi “Jumbo” Ozaki’s rise in professional golf has been far from conventional. Before making his mark on the trails, Ozaki was a professional baseball player. He turned to golf in his mid-20s and quickly made an impact, winning his first professional event in 1973 at the age of 26, and going on to enjoy a long and successful career at the top level.

Masashi became known as one of the most reliable players in Japan, especially in major tournaments. He finished inside the top ten at the Open Championship, Masters and US Open. His best major score came at the 1989 US Open at Oak Hill, where he finished three shots behind Curtis Strange. Overall, he played 49 majors and competed in the Masters 19 times. His last appearance there was in 2000, when he tied for 28th at the age of 53.

Although most of his career was spent in Japan, Jumbo made a strong impact on the world stage. He rose to No. 5 in the Official World Golf Rankings in 1996 at the age of 49 and remained inside the top 10 for nearly 200 weeks. He was often mentioned for not winning many events outside of Japan, although he did win the New Zealand PGA Championship.

At home, Jumbo’s dominance was clear. He won the Japan Open five times and captured the Japan PGA Championship six times. He has also finished at the top of the Japan Golf Tour’s money list a record 12 times including five straight seasons from 1994 to 1998.

His contributions to the sport were officially recognized in 2011 when he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame after receiving 50 percent of the votes in the international ballot. Speaking at the time, he admitted that he regretted not competing outside of Japan.

“But I have dedicated my life to Japanese golf and I am very grateful that voters thought I deserved this honor,” he said. (via ESPN)

Away from the course, Masashi also tried his hand at music and released three singles that reached the Japanese charts in the late 1980s.