One putt. That’s what it came down to. In this game of miniscule margins that are finer than the hairs on this scribe’s double-crown, Craig Lee has been left to mull over the one that got away. His jab from 12 or so feet on the ninth hole – his 18th – during the second round of the Portugal Masters didn’t drop and that costly closing bogey saw the Stirling man miss the cut by a shot. As a result, Lee dropped off the main European Tour. When the numbers were crunched and tour officials tallied this, that and the other up on the abacus, he had failed to retain his playing rights for next season by £1486. The last tournament of the regular season always serves up some sore ones. Englishman Graeme Storm, who finished just a place above Lee on the order of merit, fell a mere £89 shy of the safety zone. You probably couldn’t buy an official sweater in the merchandising tent for that.

“There a lot of players in the same boat at this time of the year doing a bit of soul searching,” said Lee. “It’s one putt and if you think about it all the time it can really torment you. I saw the putt on the TV after I’d signed my card. As soon as it leaves the putter I think it’s going in but it gets to about a foot and a half from the hole and hits a spike mark and it gets deflected a wee bit. That spike mark is going round and round in my head. I’ve been trying these last couple of days to get it out of my system. I’m not sure I will and it’s lingering on a bit longer than I’d like it to.”

Having enjoyed five unbroken seasons on the European Tour, including a couple of nail-nibbling late escapes over the last couple of years, Lee has slithered through the trap door. There is a route back through November’s qualifying school final but that anguish-laden, six-round examination is as torturous as an interrogation on the rack.

Lee has three weeks to get his mind settled and his game prepared for that rigorous test but, with the emotions still raw from his weekend woe, there will be a considerable period of introspection.

“Do I want to continue to follow the dream or do I just call it a day?” admitted the 39-year-old, who lost to Thomas Bjorn in a play-off for the 2013 European Masters during a campaign which saw him finish a career-high of 59th on the money list. “There will be some big decisions coming up. I was on the road for nine of the last 10 weeks. It’s been tiring and I have a two-year-old daughter. I’ve seen her maybe seven days in 10 weeks. That’s not the kind of father you want to be. It’s been a big downer. I’m 85 per cent sure I’ll got to q-school but until I’m 100 per cent sure that it’s still what I want to do then I’ll not commit. Once I get over what has happened I might find some motivation to keep going. If that doesn’t come, then it will be an easy decision to make. I’ve been lucky to have played at this level on some of the best courses in the world. This was always the goal. I’m not sure how I’d feel coming down from that level having been spoiled so long.”

Lee’s niggling wrist injury is not going to get any better. The medical term in a delamination of the ligament due to general wear and tear and that will also have some impact on his decision making.

“The wrist is never going to be 100 per cent, so I can’t practice as much as I’d like to,” added Lee. “Once we had figured out how to manage it the injury, my game back a bit towards the end of the season. There were still signs of encouragement but it’s hard enough at the best of times on the tour trying to keep up with some of the younger kids. If you can’t practice as much, it’s even harder.

“You need to be positive but there’s no point going out there spending all that money if the heart is not in it. I’m hoping I’ll find that hunger again after I’ve had time to reflect. You can’t fall out of love with a game you’ve been involved with all your life overnight.”