GOTEMBA, JAPAN- The Asia Pacific Amateur Championships are set to take place at Taheiyo Club Gotemba October 3-6, and our very own Sungyeop Cho is one of 120 amateurs from Asia competing in this prestigious event. Cho will be representing the Republic of Korea, his home country, as he competes for a spot at the 2025 Masters and the 2025 Open. 

Winning this highly competitive tournament would mean a lot to Cho, but simply being invited to play amongst some top notch players is a wonderful opportunity. 

"I think it's a great honor just to have this opportunity, because I'm in the top 120 of the best golfing amateurs in Asia. So just to be in the tournament gives me a lot of confidence," said Cho. "I'm also looking forward to seeing how many people are playing well in the tournament. I think this opportunity will be an important experience for me in my future golfing career and will have a good impact on me." 

Sungyeop has already taken part in a practice round at the beautiful course in the shadow of Mount Fuji in Japan. The views are stunning and the course is in perfect condition for the upcoming tournament. 

"I played a practice round yesterday, and it definitely felt similar to Korea. There are a lot of holes where the tee shots are very tight and management is going to be really important. The grass is the same type of grass as Korea, and the atmosphere is similar, but the condition of the grass and the condition of the course is better than any course I've played. It's going to be important to adapt to the good greens and the good grass and play well," Cho said. 
 

Cho is coming off of a victory in his latest college tournament in Florida at the National Championship Preview where he shot nine under par through two rounds to claim the title among the best in the nation. Sungyeop will look to continue the momentum in Japan on a much different course and field of players. 

"I had a good feeling in the previous match, but I didn't practice enough afterward so I'm a little bit rough. But I think I can maintain the feeling of my shots through the rest of practice so that I can control my play in the match," said Cho. "Regardless of how my shots feel, I'm going to play the best I can under the circumstances." 

Cho has watched this tournament from a young age, and to be able to play in it is something he never thought possible.

"I never imagined that I would be able to play in this tournament because when I was in Korea, this was a tournament that only the national team could play in, and I was never a national team member. I was way below them, so I can't believe that I can play in a tournament like this as it is almost the only amateaur tournament that qualifies for the Masters. There are so many great players not only from Korea but from Asia, so it's a great honor for me and I think it's going to be a really great week for me," Cho said. 
 

To be invited to play in Gotemba is an honor, and Cho is taking a simple yet effective approach to his game as he enters tournament play. 

"My goal for this tournament is to play my first big tournament, so I think I'm going to try to put aside my thoughts about my score and just play good golf on a good course with good players and enjoy it as much as I can," said Cho. Every single player is great, so hopefully it will be a week where I can play with them and get a lot of experience and learn a lot." 

All the action kicks off from Taheiyo Club Gotemba on October 3 and goes through October 6. Live coverage will be available in Japan on TBS and ESPN in the United States and Latin America. Stats and further coverage of the tournament can be found here. We wish Sungyeop the best of luck as he competes in Japan amongst the best amateurs in Asia!