The 2025 Houston Open has been happening, to say the least, but nonetheless, everything went as planned for the tournament, even for Min Woo Lee. The Australian professional won his first PGA Tour title after being under scrutiny for his performance for years. But despite getting applause for his win, he has found a new criticism for his pace of play, all thanks to a fellow golfer. Lee, who has showcased impressive performance since the beginning of the event, was not a part of the criticism. But soon after, he took the lead in the fourth round. His performance became the worry. And, notably, at one point, he did take extra time to play the shot.

However, he wasn’t the only one accused of it. Alejandro Tosti, who was in contention after the first two rounds, ended up on T5 as the event concluded. But to try to make up for the loss of lead, the Argentine tried playing some “mind games” with the pace of play. The golfer who was paired with Lee shared that his pace of play was affected by Lee’s. The series of events started with the accusation against Tosti. Christopher Powers wrote on X about how Tosti was “a little bit disrespectful” to Ryan Fox on his first hole for taking longer to hit the ball. But hours after the revelation, another post surfaced which clarified claims on Tosti, and landed on another professional for slow play.

@handicap_54 shared an update after a recent conversation with the Argentine pro. The post read, “I just spoke with @AleTostiOK. @AleTostiOK told me that NOTHING HAPPENED with @ryanfoxgolfer on the 1st hole of the @TCHouOpen.” Clarifying the allegations against him, Tosti has shared how nothing as claimed has happened.

Interestingly, he started pointing at Min Woo Lee for the same allegation. He said, “@ryanfoxgolfer was also upset about what happened with @minwoo27lee on the 8th hole. Min Woo Lee had delayed 10 minutes.” Tosti, who was earlier on the radar for slow play, turned it down and shared that Min Woo Lee was the one who affected the pace. He shared for Ryan Fox, stating how Lee’s slow play affected the game. Lee, who won the Houston Open, had struggled at the eighth hole on the final day. After his tee shot, the ball ended up under the bush. It took the golfer approximately 12 minutes to decide whether to hit or call it off. He tried to hit with multiple clubs before his caddie advised him to call it off as unplayable.

Now, on the crucial moment decision that might cost the Australian, his first victory at the PGA Tour was called slow play. It is a debatable topic, but as per the PGA Tour, he wasn’t penalised for his long decision time.

But soon after Tosti debated for Lee’s slow play, the reporter observed “mind games” of Tosti on the 12th hole.

NBC reporters on Alejandro Tosti’s pace of play

After strong claims by Tosti on his fellow, there was an evident situation that caught the attention of the reporter and broadcast team. After the whole scenario on the eighth, Steve Burkowski, reporter at the PGA Tour, asked Bones Mackay, who was the on-course analyst, about the update. Mackay said, “Steve, I don’t know what’s going on, but Tosti’s playing at his own pace.” Tosti, who has fallen back on the lead, took control with analysis and strategy to lead the group.

He further continued saying, “At times it’s normal and at times it’s glacially slow, and he’s decided on this particular hole to really take his time. He’s holding up play in this particular group.” Tosti, who recorded a bogey on the 9th and 11th, strategically took extra time to reduce the toll on his score. In fact, his plan worked out for him as he carded three birdies and no bogeys after that.

Notably, Tosti replied to the post on X by Brentely Romine, which shared the conversation about reporting his slow play. He wrote, “Btw stop the fake news idiots. There was no confrontation with Fox on the 1st hole.” Even though he later deleted his reply, it has been left forever with the fans in the age of tech.

Even for his move, Brad Faxon said, “He’s really playing some mind games.” Tosti, who has had many controversies in the past, has again added another. Earlier in 2024, he argued over the playing order with Tony Finau.

However, now, with his attempt to discard the claims onto another golfer, will the report let his plan slip away? What are your thoughts on it? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.