Photo/Illutration Professional golfer Masashi Ozaki dons the champion's blazer while holding the Chunichi Crowns trophy in 1997, a title he won three years in a row. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

When people speak of “AON” in the world of Japanese men’s professional golf, they’re invoking a legendary trio of fairway titans—Isao Aoki, Masashi “Jumbo” Ozaki and Tsuneyuki “Tommy” Nakajima.

Nakajima, the youngest of the Big Three, once described his lifelong rivals like this: “Aoki-san has the sharpness of a Japanese sword. Jumbo is like a blade wielded by the Greeks or Romans—his power feels limitless. He doesn’t just cut; he strikes, he pierces. He can do it all.”

The sound of Jumbo’s thunderous drives still echoes in memory. At the 1989 Open Championship, on the 364-yard opening hole, his colossal tee shot soared past the green—an audacious feat that stunned the gallery and set the tone for his larger-than-life presence.

Now comes the news of the passing of that beloved and storied dynamo. He was 78.

Standing 181 centimeters tall and blessed with a formidable physique, Ozaki was more than just naturally gifted. He was a “renshu no oni,” a “training demon,” who practiced with relentless intensity and a laser focus.

“A certain swing came to me in a dream. Let’s go practice,” he once said, waking in the middle of the night to swing his clubs.

It wasn’t a one-time occurrence. This episode, among many others, is recounted in “Daremo Kakenakatta Jumbo Ozaki” (The Jumbo Ozaki no one could write about) by his disciple Yoshinori Kaneko, a member of the famed “Jumbo Army”—the loyal band of golfers who rallied around their charismatic leader.

Ozaki lived by a simple credo: A professional must win, no matter what.

To him, entertaining the fans was part of the job, even if it meant talking big and making bold, swaggering claims on live broadcasts. What some mistook for arrogance was, in truth, a philosophy of performance. As Aoki once said, the real Jumbo was “a shy man.”

With 94 victories on the Japan Golf Tour and 12 leading money winner titles, his records shine with immortal brilliance. Yet, one comment, made at age 66, lingers just as vividly.

After shooting a round lower than his age—a rare feat known as an “age shoot”—he said, “I’m not aiming for age shoots. I’m doing this to win on this tour.”

To the very end, Ozaki remained a rare and peerless “shobushi,” a big-game player who thrived under pressure; lived for the win-or-lose showdown; and embodied the nerve, instinct and showmanship of a true professional.

—The Asahi Shimbun, Dec. 26

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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