Lee, the brother of World No.9 Minjee Lee, mistakenly believed he had earnt enough points to qualify for a full card.

But, in reality, Lee finished two positions outside of the top-115 golfers who automatically get a full card for next year.

"I missed out on a full card on the European Tour by two spots, probably only a couple of shots over the whole year," the 21-year-old posted on Instagram.

"I thought I had my Tour card wrapped up earlier in the year but I was wrong. Which sucks. But lesson learnt. Give it your best and every shot does indeed count." – Min Woo Lee

"I thought I had my Tour card wrapped up earlier in the year but I was wrong. Which sucks.

"But lesson learnt. Give it your best and every shot does indeed count."

Lee turned professional at the start of the year and a string of solid performances in Europe had him believing he had secured a full card next year.

"You think about a putt or a shot you missed," he wrote.

"I'll have status next year and most likely play more events than I did this year, which is a still a pretty good effort from getting limited starts this year.

"I'll come back stronger and better."

- Steve Larkin, Australian Associated Press