The first event of the new adidas PGA Pro-Am Series drew a strong field of seasoned Tour professionals with Higginbottom (65-67) and Jordan Mullaney (65-67) locked together at 10-under at the completion of 36 holes.

After Higginbottom made bogey on 18 to finish level with Mullaney, it was Mullaney who would make the crucial error at the first extra hole.

A tee shot that finished in the rough on the adjacent fairway left Mullaney with a near impossible shot into the green, his second finishing in an equally difficult position behind the back of the green.

Understanding the difficulty his opponent was facing, Higginbottom ensured his approach came up short of the hole, playing a chip shot to six inches and sealing victory with a par as Mullaney made bogey.

“The main goal for your second shot is to just keep it under the hole somehow,” Higginbottom explained after picking up the winner’s cheque for $7,190.

“I saw Jordan hit his second shot and saw that he hit it long and knew, from up there, that he was going to be doing very, very well to make a par.

“I actually hit quite a nice shot in, it spun off the front and left a straightforward chip up the hill. I hit a nice chip to six inches.

“It was nice for myself just to be up there and in contention again, kind of get the juices flowing.”

The juices were well and truly flowing as Higginbottom arrived at the final hole of regulation.

Cowra’s 18th green is notoriously tricky and the 29-year-old admitted that he had thoughts of his par putt getting away from him as he tried to seal the deal.

“It is a very tricky green,” Higginbottom conceded.

“I hit my first putt and obviously left it short, probably had four feet for par.

“It probably had a foot of break from four feet. I was actually quite conscious that if I hit that putt a little hard and got a high-side lip-out it was probably going to go 12 feet by.

“I tried to die it in the front, obviously it snuck under the hole but it was nice to get it done in the playoff.”

Winner of the New Zealand Open in 2012 as an amateur, Higginbottom turns 30 in October but is currently exploring a life away from the tour.

He is undertaking the Tour Professional Articulation (formerly PGA Bridging Program) as part of the PGA’s Membership Pathway Program under Ryan and Janelle Smith at Charlestown Golf Club in Newcastle.

But as he looks to the next phase of his golf career, Higginbottom didn’t close the door completely on tournament golf.

“I’ve actually been doing my bridging so I’m going to do a bit of coaching at Charlestown with Ryan and Janelle Smith,” said Higginbottom.

“Going to take a little bit of a spell from playing but we’ll see if we can get into some events throughout the year.

“I’m not saying it’s over but we’ll see how we go.”

A tournament-best seven-under 64 in the second round saw Austin Bautista finish one stroke out of the playoff to take outright third, one clear of veteran Nathan Green (68) with David Bransdon (69) rounding out the top five.

The next event on the adidas PGA Pro-Am Series is the O’Neill & Brown FGC Sleepin’ Rough Invitational at Federal Golf Club in Canberra.

Final results