During an interview on PGA Tour.com this year, he said the second-place effort in March really turned around his form.
"Ever since I finished second at Puerto Rico, everything a little bit changed for me. I was starting to act more positive, I was believing in every shot I had, and I was believing in my game."
Since finishing second in Puerto Rico, he has made the cut in five of his past nine tournaments. He will need to continue his good form if he wants to stay on the tour next season.
He said he had learned a lot since bursting on to the scene as the number one amateur in the world in 2008, the same year he won the US Amateur Championship.
"Playing on all those great tours for the past four or five years has given me a lot of experience and I learned what I have to do with my game and how to manage my schedule."
Lee earned his place on the PGA Tour this season after qualifying through the Web.com Tour last year.
He grew up in Rotorua and attended Rotorua Boys' High School, playing a lot of his golf at Springfield Golf Club.
Danny Lee Springfield Open tournament director Craig Tiriana said people at the club were always talking about him.
"People are always asking, 'how is Danny going?' 'Has he made the cut?' And people are always watching him."
He said Lee was a very likeable kid during his years in Rotorua, and everybody at the club wanted him to do well and get his card for next year.
Lee is still a big part of the club, so much so the scorecards at Springfield Golf Club still have a picture of him on the cover.
Lee's most recent result on the PGA Tour was a tied-32nd at the FedEx St Jude Classic in Memphis, Tennessee last weekend.
He shot one-under par for the tournament and tied with fellow Kiwi golfer Tim Wilkinson (Palmerston North), who is currently ranked 118th on the FedEx Cup standings.
Lee was sitting in 16th going into the final round in Memphis but shot a three-over par 73 to slip down the leaderboard.
Rotorua's Danny Lee on the PGA Tour this season
-Quick glance:
Played 19 events, made the cut at eight events, two top-25 finishes, one top-10 finish, prize money $587,199, FedEx Cup ranking 98th.
-Tournament placings by month:
October 2013 T33, Cut
November 2013 T40, Cut
December 2013 Did not play
January 2014 Cut, Cut, Cut
February 2014 Cut, Cut
March 2014 Second, Cut, T31, Cut
April 2014 Cut, T25
May 2014 T50, Cut, T38
June 2014T32
