New South Welshman Paul Sheehan is unsure if he will play in the United States after a dramatic playoff victory over Michael Sim in the Jacob's Creek Open at Royal Adelaide.

Sheehan posted a closing 69 - his second for the weekend - for a seven under par total of 281 and was joined by overnight leader Sim after a 71.

They remained tied after getting up and down for pars at the first extra hole.

Playing 18 again, Sim carved his tee shot well right, where it skipped out of bounds and forced a second tee shot, from which he made six.

The wayward drive meant his opposite number needed only a five and Sheehan duly made a shaky bogey to close out the as his wife and child looked on.

With the $180,000 cheque in his pocket, Sheehan said he would have to think about his family and a lucrative career on the Japanese golf circuit before deciding whether to follow-up on a gilt-edged opportunity to make it to the US PGA Tour in 2007.

The event was co-sanctioned by the Australasian Tour and second tier US Nationwide Tour and victory provides entry to the US and a chance at qualifying for the PGA Tour.

"I'll play next week (in New Zealand) then decide what to do, Japan's a pretty good option, the lifestyle's great and I get a lot of time with my family," he said.

"But the US is certainly a place I want to go to so we'll have to sit down and think about it.

"You can make a great living in Japan and there's not too many sacrifices there, so you've got to think about your family if you go to the States because you can't commute.

"The only thing about going to America is your own ambition as a golfer to play the best players, as you grow up that's what you wanted to do and you want to go as far as you could as a player, but there's more people involved than just myself now."

Pleased with a week that gave him exempt status on the Nationwide Tour, Sim said he would definitely be going back for more.

Former US amateur champion Nick Flanagan chipped in at the last to make 71, handing him outright third and also the feat of making birdie on 18 in each of his four rounds.

Fellow youngsters Aron Price (70) and Jarrod Lyle (71) completed an all-Australian top five, though Americans Roland Thatcher and Craig Bowden both went round in 67 for the equal best rounds of the day.

Bowden raced round the back nine in 30 to finish as the low American, tied for sixth with Peter Senior (71).

The sea breeze again perked up to add difficulty to the layout, although the course superintendent had elected to lightly water the greens in order to keep them from slipping past the point of fairness.

While 29 players had been within four strokes of the lead overnight, the final nine developed into a battle between Sim, the wiry 21-year-old with a superb amateur record and the overnight lead, and Sheehan, an accomplished 29-year-old with two wins in Japan and a spot in the penultimate group.

Sim had only one bogey on his card for the day, narrowly missing a chip-in birdie at the 11th, but he failed to save a shot at the long 15th after reaching the edge of the green in two.

Sheehan birdied 15 to join Sim as he looked on from the 15th fairway, and seemed to hold the advantage after his regulation par on 16 was closely followed by Sim swerving his tee shot into a greenside bunker.

However Sim stayed with the lead via a pair of nerveless par putts at 16 and 17 as Sheehan took the clubhouse lead.

Sim had a putt for the title on 18 but left it short to make extra holes necessary.

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