Gillespie will have to qualify for that tournament which, with its $2.4 million purse, is the richest tournament in Australia. That qualifying journey begins next Monday.
While he was thrilled with the boost to the bank balance, he said it was hard not to think what might have been.
"Finishing second doesn't bring with it all the exemptions that you get from winning so I'll have qualify for the Perth International on Monday," he told the Chronicle from his temporary Perth base.
Winning the WA PGA in Kalgoorlie would have given him qualifying exemptions through to the end of 2014 on the Australian PGA.
Gillespie finished the four rounds tied at 10-under with Australian pro Jack Wilson but lost the first play-off hole.
However, his changing fortunes coincide with a change of coach and he is now under the tutelage of Craig Dixon at Igolf in Auckland.
"We've been working on everything [with his game] so there has been quite a change. There's also a lot more structure and Craig's got me working towards some pretty high goals. It's been really good so far and I'm excited about the future.
"It's quite nice to get some good results under the belt early and hopefully with more hard work I can build on those over the coming months," he said.
In the WA PGA event he was penalised for hitting a wrong ball and then watching his ball move after he'd grounded his putter in the first round.
"As for the wrong ball and the ball moving, it's part of the game and I'd rather not talk about it. There will be plenty of guys out there who have stories like that, so you just move on from it and focus on what was good this week," he said.
Gillespie said the positives he was taking from Kalgoorlie was the fact he was around the lead for most of the tournament.
"That's encouraging and gives me confidence that I can compete at this level even when I feel I'm not playing my absolute best.
"My game feels like it's coming around nicely. With each round the key for me is to just stick to the process Craig and I have worked out and just try to get 1 per cent better each day."
He had noticed that if he was wayward with a shot that "miss" was not as wide as in the past.
"And I'm starting to control my flight a bit better each day so it's still a work in progress and I guess a result like this means I'm on the right road."
If he qualifies for the Perth International, Gillespie will be playing in some top company.
Dustin Johnson is the latest high-profile player confirmed and will join fellow American and defending champion Bo Van Pelt, and 2013 Presidents Cup International team member and 2012 European Tour four-event winner Branden Grace from South Africa.
