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

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Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki, arguably the greatest Japanese golfer of all time, died Tuesday at age 78 after battling colon cancer.

Ozaki won 113 tournaments all over the world, 94 of them on the Japan Golf Tour, becoming an inspiration to 2021 Masters winner Hideki Matsuyama.

Ozaki became a constant at Augusta National Golf Club in 1972, but he did not compete there from 1980 to 1987.

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Jumbo Ozaki watches his shot from the finish position during the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 1998 in Georgia. (Augusta National/Getty Images)

Out of his 49 major championship appearances, 19 were at the Masters, with his best finish coming in 1973, when he tied for eighth.

Ozaki also earned a tie for 10th at the 1979 Open Championship and a tie for sixth at the 1989 U.S. Open.

He rose to No. 5 in the world ranking in 1996 at age 49 and spent over 200 straight weeks inside the top 10. Ozaki was often 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.

Jumbo Ozaki hits off the tee box in front of a large gallery during the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in April 1990. (Augusta National/Getty Images)

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"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 won the Japan Open five times and the Japan PGA Championship six times. He led the Japan Golf Tour money list a record 12 times, including five in a row