One of his first successes was at the 1963 Yomiuri International, the final tournament of the year on the Asia Golf Circuit, where he finished runner-up to American Doug Sanders.

[3] Later in the year, in August, he recorded another runner-up performance against an international field, finishing solo second to Kel Nagle at the Lake Karrinyup Bowl in Perth, Australia.

[7] In 1969, Sugimoto returned to Japan and had great success, winning six times in his home country and the Taiwan Open.

During this era, Australian legend Peter Thomson considered Sugimoto and Kenji Hosoishi to be the best golfers in Japan.

[5] During this the early 1970s, he had success with fellow Japanese professional Takashi Murakami, winning three events with him.