Matt Griffin won the inaugural South Pacific Golf Open Championship on Saturday on the second playoff hole against consistent fellow Victorian Terry Pilkadaris in New Caledonia.

The win comes as great relief to Griffin who has often been described as the tour bridesmaid after recording so many top-10 finishes in his short but extremely successful professional career.

"It would be fair to say that this win lifts the monkey off the back. I have put myself in winnable positions a few times since turning pro in 2008 and it comes as a great relief to finally finish one off," said the relieved Griffin.

Griffin overcame passport issues to arrive in Noumea less than 24 hours before his round-one tee-time but managed three rounds in the 60s following his opening round of two-under par 70 at Tina Golf Club - one of only three 18-hole courses in New Caledonia.

Griffin was able to brush aside a disappointing four-foot miss on the last hole of regulation play to ignite the crowd with an uphill 35-foot monster that matched Pilkadaris' three-foot tap-in birdie at the first playoff hole.

Making their way back to the 18th tee for the second time, Griffin and Pilkadaris again found the middle of the fairway with both having under 100 metres to a difficult back pin.

After pushing his approach to the right, Pilkadaris watched Griffin emulate his first playoff hole heroics as he stuck his approach to three-foot for a simple tap-in birdie.

The locals were treated to aggressive golf and plenty of movement at the top of the leader board. Leading the chase group was former Victorian Open winner Jason Norris, who finished his round with four-straight birdies to post the clubhouse lead at 14-under par.

Joining Norris in the top five were New Zealand's Brad Shilton and Australian tour rookie Jason Scrivener who both posted final rounds of two-under par 70.

The $110,000 South Pacific Open is sanctioned by the PGA Tour of Australasia with the champion guaranteed spot in the summer's biggest events including the Australian Open, Masters, PGA Championship and New Zealand Open.