Victorian Anthony Brown has birdied the second playoff hole to win the NSW Open title over New Zealander Josh Geary.

Starting the final round three shots off the lead, 32-year-old Brown’s victory at Stonecutters Ridge in western Sydney on Sunday is the biggest of his career and best since finishing tied for second at the 2012 Australian PGA Championship.

After both Brown and Geary made birdie on the 18th on the first playoff hole, Geary failed to get up and down out of the greenside trap next time around while Brown made his birdie to claim the title.

Playing in the second-last group of the day with Nathan Brown and Daniel Valente, Brown carded a fourth-round 69 to finish at 14-under-par for the tournament with joint overnight leader Geary, who signed for a 72.

Brown mastered the windy conditions to take the clubhouse lead thanks to a clutch birdie putt on the par-five 18th.

The back nine was where Brown made his charge, birdieing all three par-fives as well as the par-four 14th on his way to the clubhouse lead at 14-under.

While Brown made birdies on the back the leaders faltered, especially the experienced James Nitties (73), leader after rounds two and three.

Nitties birdied the par-five 10th before unravelling with a string of errors.

First, Nitties made double-bogey at the par-three 11th, after which he may have needed the yearlong supply of beer that was on offer for a hole-in-one.

He would then go on to make back-to-back bogeys at 12 and 13 and three-putt the par-three 16th to come home at 13-under.

Geary did a little better down the stretch with three bogeys on the back nine, a three-putt bogey on the par-three 17th really hurting his cause before he two-putted for birdie on 18.

Their playing partner, South Korean-born US Amateur champion Gunn Yang, had a steady day but never really got going in shooting an even-par 72 to finish at 12-under in fourth.

The next-best amateur was NSW’s Travis Smyth, four shots back at eight-under in a tie for ninth.

Earlier in the day comeback kid Ewan Porter set the course alight with a five-under 67 to shoot the low round of the day, perhaps a signal that his return to golf is on track.

Other top-ten finishers – Valente, Andrew Kelly and Queenslander Aaron Pike – have all qualified for next week’s Australian Masters at Metropolitan Golf club in Melbourne.