Isao Aoki is a Japanese golfer who was born in Abiko, Chiba, Japan on August 31, 1942. He was exposed to the game at a young age while serving as a caddy at the Abiko Golf Club.
After turning pro in 1964, Aoki began winning tournaments that eventually numbered more than fifty in the years spanning 1972 and 1990. He has won the Japan Golf Tour Money list five times in six years and in 2008 ranked eighth on the money list.
He played one of his most recognized games in 1980 when he came in second at the US Open held in at the Baltusrol Golf Club. Paired with Jack Nicklaus, Aoki held his own for four straight days, patiently waiting for his American opponent to make a mistake. However, Nicklaus only faltered briefly towards the end of the tournament and bagged his fourth US Open title with a score of 272 (8-under-par).
He won the Hawaiian Open in 1983 on the US-based PGA tour and the Panasonic European Open. A few years prior to that, he had won the World Match Play Championship in England as well as another win during the PGA Tour of Australasia.
He has won nine times on the Champions Tour between 1992 and 2003. Aoki also has six senior wins outside of the US, including three wins in the Japan Senior Open.
Aoki is fondly called the ‘Tower’ by peers and fans alike because of his height, and is known among fellow pro golfers for his putting style, a style that even Jack Nicklaus praised.