Alejandro Tosti slams “sh*t” report about slowing down playing partner Min Woo Lee

The final pairing at the Texas Children’s Houston Open had some extra tension due to some pace of play issues.

As Min Woo Lee tried to capture the first win of his PGA Tour career in Houston, the Aussie also had to withstand some tension in his group.

Playing alongside Argentinian Alejandro Tosti and New Zealander Ryan Fox, Lee entered the final round with a four-shot lead over the Argentine. But Tosti rinsed his second shot into the creek on the par-4 1st hole, which all but ended his chances of moving up the leaderboard. He was understandably frustrated after that moment, but then grew angrier on the par-5 8th hole.

After pushing his drive well right of the fairway and into the bushes, Lee needed 12 minutes to ultimately determine that his ball was unplayable. He needed to take a drop, and ultimately, he saved his par. But it took the final group 31 minutes to finish this par-5, which left Tosti rather testy.

As the final group played the hole, the NBC Sports broadcast showed Tosti conversing with a rules official. No audio of their discussion aired, but on-course reporter Jim “Bones” Mackay explained how Tosti was unhappy with how long Lee’s ordeal with the bush took to play out.

Four holes later, on the par-4 12th, where Lee still held the lead, cameras showed Tosti walking more than 100 yards behind his playing partners. Mackay then chimed again, accusing Tosti of purposefully slowing down Lee and Fox.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but Tosti is playing at his own pace,” Mackay said.

“At times, it’s normal. At times, it’s glacially slow. But he’s decided on this particular hole to really take his time, and he’s holding up play in this last group.”

Kevin Kisner, the lead analyst for NBC Sports, added:

“If it were me, I’d walk over to Tosti and say, ‘What are you doing, bro?’”

Mackay did not stop there, however.

“The bottom line is this is incredibly unfair to a 26-year-old guy trying to get over the finish line for the first time,” Mackay added.

Tosti, who ultimately tied for fifth and did not speak to the media after his round, then took to social media on Monday to explain his side of the story.

He did so with brevity and got directly to the point. His social media post responded to the Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine, who added a few thoughts on this ordeal.

“Bones talking sh*t for the fans,” Tosti posted on X on Monday morning.

“Saying I am walking 50 yards behind and ‘trying to slow my playing partner.’ The part you don’t see is that I used the restroom and prepared myself a drink.”

Tosti’s T-5 finish in Houston marked the second straight season in which he finished among the top-5 at Memorial Park. He tied for second last year, which proved to be the best result of his season. He would go on to miss 12 cuts throughout 2024 while recording only one more top-10 finish, which came at the Shriners Children’s Open in Las Vegas. Tosti finished the year outside the top 125 in the FedEx Cup standings, but he regained his PGA Tour card for the 2025 season via Q-School. He finished among the top five there last December.

So far this season, Tosti has made only four cuts in nine starts, with this past week being his best finish. He also recorded a top-10 at the Mexico Open, but came nowhere close to contending at The American Express and the Cognizant Classic — the only other events where he has made the cut this season.

And yet, golf fans will remember Tosti’s ordeal at this year’s Texas Children’s Houston Open more than anything.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.