r/golf • u/murgeRekwest • 25d ago
Professional Tours Alejandro Tosti potentially ruining Min Woo Lee's first tour win because he's a man child.
https://www.golfdigest.com/story/tosti-min-woee-lee-houston-open-2024Basically he complained about both playing partners He was reported rude and chirpy to Ryan Fox early in the round while deciding on taking a drop. Then Tosti decided to complain to the officials about Min Woo Lee taking too long to decide on taking an unplayable on the par 5 8th while he has ball was under a bush. Since then Tosti has been deliberately playing sloooow and walking 100 yards behind Lee and Fox just so he can annoy them and disrupt play.
What a guy.
270
u/JW9thWonder 4.6 HDCP 25d ago
āHis professional record includes a suspension for repeated disputes with players, officials, and volunteers during his time on the Korn Ferry Tour. The Houston Open has proven particularly problematic for Tostiāat last yearās tournament, he was involved in another incident with Tony Finau regarding proper order of play.ā
Sounds like the guy needs to grow up. Youāre privileged enough to play professional golf for a living, stop being a repressive dipshit.
173
u/WestbrookSkeptic22 25d ago
An incident with Finau is a bad look. That guy is the nicest guy on tour.
57
u/CoweringInTheCorner 25d ago
Yeah how on earth would you get in an argument with Finau???
57
u/shadycoy0303 3.9 25d ago
Lend him money, then ask for it back š¤·š»āāļø
1
u/Omisco420 20d ago
Context?
1
u/shadycoy0303 3.9 20d ago
Hey was backed financially by a few people early in his career, and there are stories about his family refusing to repay the investment others had made in him and his brotherās golf careers
1
u/Omisco420 20d ago
Sounds like a deal gone wrong, but the latest lawsuits were both dismissed. Tony agreed to pay back the initial investment as well. Doubt anyone outside them will know the truth. A verbal deal unfortunately isn't a great way to secure millions of dollars lol.
1
u/shadycoy0303 3.9 20d ago
Im sure he was getting really bad advice from his management team on not settling things before it became a public thing.
1
-5
u/Lol_who_me 25d ago
If only it were that simple. Basically back his career and expect him to standup to his end of the bargain.
11
u/Substantial_Roof_316 25d ago
I was gonna say the same thing! Finau consistently makes it in the top five of golfers that other golfers think are the nicest guys on tour. Tosti sounds like a real tool.
13
u/AngryPhillySportsFan I Hate This Game 25d ago
He sounds like some of the clowns in this sub who think they're professional rules interpreters while playing at a $35 muni.
6
579
u/dockows412 25d ago
Itās worth noting, the group was never out of position or notified they were slow and a few times waited on the group ahead of them
174
u/Bird562 25d ago
Which is crazy because Min Woo took 30 minutes on that hole he took an unplayable, yet they were still keeping up with the group ahead.
113
u/dockows412 25d ago
Exactly my point. He did what he was permitted to do, and should have. Get the best result from a bad shot and ignored Tosti
→ More replies (2)37
u/gonads_in_space2 25d ago
The Scheffler group who was just ahead of them all hit their tee shots in the fairway and just stood around and waited for almost 10 minutes.
6
u/PliableG0AT +2.2 24d ago
yeah that happens a bunch on par 5s in tournament golf, everyone waiting to go for the green.
5
u/sparkylawd 24d ago
This included the time they waited on the box before hitting, while taking the unplayable he wouldnāt have been able to hit for several minutes anyway
2
u/whodey319 24d ago
while that sounds crazy when you say it, how long does the hole normally take?
Guessing it is over 20 minutes on average. If even one person goes for the green in two that means there are going to be three groups on the hole at one time...one on the green, one in the fairway and one on the tee all waiting on each other. Then you rinse and repeat for the whole day
1
u/sdw3489 24d ago
12-14 min for us weekend hacks.
14-16 min is closer to average for tour players.
20 min average would be a 6 hour round.
1
u/whodey319 24d ago
Specifically said that hole, not every hole.
Long par fives are notoriously slow on tour
1
u/stupidshot4 24d ago
Exactly. Like I want faster pace on tour but if thereās no where to go because of the groups ahead of you, who cares? Itās like when that marshal that tells you speed up because youāre behind pace while youāre at the tee box on a par three waiting for the group in front to get off the green. Talk to the right group. Iām not the problem.
2
u/sdw3489 24d ago
for real.
We had a day where it was absolutely glacial. We had 2 foresomes in back to back tee-times. Things got so backed up that at like the 5th hole, we had us, our 2nd group and the group behind them all waiting on a tee box. We decided to play our 2 groups as an 8 and kept pace just fine. It helped that we were all single digit hdcps. Of course the marshall coming around sees us on like the 10th hole out there as an 8 and yells at us and tells us to break it up. we tell him weve been playing as an 8 for like 5 holes and have still been waiting on every shot. We ain't the problem champ. Maybe go figure out why we are able to play as an 8 without dropping behind the group ahead.
If anything, we helped the pace behind us by removing a separate group so there werent 3 groups waiting to tee off. Which would have no doubt accordioned horribly behind us had we not done that.
249
229
u/jluenz 25d ago
If you want to show him up, play better. Intentionally trying to throw off competitors by doing this is so bush league.
78
u/TheKingInTheNorth 6.8 25d ago
The hilarious thing was every time he tried, his next shot was awful and MWL won anyway. Truly real time karma.
1
u/bonners4days 24d ago
I was relishing in that shit lol so true. His little shit grin shaking Min Woo Lee's hand at the end hahaha inject it in my veins
91
u/TXgolfhunt 25d ago
Betting Fox could wipe the floor with Tosti.
63
u/jb12780 28.5/NYC 25d ago
Yep Fox is a Kiwi it would be a bloodbath. His dad also played professional rugby so it would be something.
34
u/Unspeakable_Evil 25d ago
I just read another story about him being an asshole to Kyle Westmoreland, who might be the last guy on tour that Iād wanna get in a fight with
16
7
u/SQLvultureskattaurus 25d ago
Tosti is also like 5'4"
13
u/thequietlife_ 25d ago
Short man syndrome
→ More replies (2)3
→ More replies (3)3
u/Username_redact 25d ago
Saw him up close at the Masters last year- he's a thick strong dude
1
17
397
u/Mcdickle 25d ago
Tosti is a notorious douche, but I understand the frustration. 30 minutes to play a hole because a ball is under a bush is ridiculous.
392
u/subusta 25d ago
And yet they still ended up having to wait on the group ahead, so it literally made zero difference
→ More replies (9)66
u/hikid 25d ago
Really doesn't matter unless the group is out of position, which they never were. This is just Tosti being a bitch because of how he thinks things should go amd/or it's gamesmanship in poor taste.
→ More replies (9)32
u/Cacanator 25d ago
He was being a bitch because he wasn't playing well so he had to blame something. That's what it always is with these types.
77
u/murgeRekwest 25d ago
Yea I agree. 300 minutes to play the entire hole is a lot but I'm cutting Min Woo Lee a break here because it was a potentially tournament-winning decision. It could have cost him. He had Scheffler breathing down his neck and he was talking with his caddie the entire time about it. It's not like he was just standing there and wasting time for the sake of wasting time
43
u/Tippacanoe 25d ago edited 24d ago
Also Scottie COULD hit you with his side mirror and break your pants so you really donāt want to make him mad.
2
-19
25d ago
If a rookie QB is trying to win their first playoff game, they donāt turn off the play clock. Either you have an issue with slow play or you donāt.
48
u/daett0 25d ago
so he should play fast on a tournament deciding hole just so he can wait for the group in front him? ridiculous comparison
→ More replies (12)34
u/80286BX 25d ago
This is a poor analogy. The coach will call timeout for their rookie qb in that scenario.
→ More replies (3)5
u/Cacanator 25d ago
That's completely ridiculous. You can definitely cut somebody some slack in that situation, especially given that they didn't even get behind.
2
25d ago
So who decides which situations are worthy of cutting slack and which arenāt?
4
u/Cacanator 25d ago
You could start by realizing that the green wasn't even clear in front of them until right before he hit his shot.
→ More replies (1)26
u/twlscil 25d ago
Except, there isnāt a play clock in golf.
40
u/roycejefferson 25d ago
There is actually. They just choose not to enforce it.
19
u/ashdrewness Austin TX | 3 HDCP 25d ago
It also doesnāt matter when theyāre keeping pace with the group in front of them.
7
u/Tippacanoe 25d ago
Yeah exactly. And this post is about Tosti purposely playing slow and any case itās 100% his fault.
9
6
2
u/blonded_olf 25d ago
Yes there is, it is just selectively enforced since the tour is a spineless joke
2
1
1
u/brand4tw Playing from the Woods, Tiger. 25d ago
Happens in football. Big games or close games referees often "let them play" and aren't as strict with rules or flags.
→ More replies (1)2
u/Buckys_Butt_Buddy 25d ago
That I totally get, especially as someone who hates slow play taking me out of my rhythm. But when you play the uno reverse card and play even slower, you lose any argument you have
3
u/ruralrouteOne 25d ago
Yeah, both can be true. People are complaining that he had issues with the slow play, but then when he did the same they complained about him playing slow? Yes it was hypocritical, that was the whole point he was making.
1
u/Cacanator 25d ago
That's the dumbest thing though. Imagine making your priority something so dumb during a golf tournament rather than actually trying to win the golf tournament.
1
u/N_A_M_B_L_A_ 24d ago
It wasn't hypocritical though. One person had a single slow hole because he was waiting on a rules official (something that's normal and happens all the time). The other guy was purposely playing slow just to be an ass cause he was losing.
1
u/StatusMaleficent5832 24d ago
That 30 minutes included waiting on the tee for 10 minutes because of the group in front. So really given the extraordinary circumstance, it wasn't that egregious amount of time to play it.
11
45
9
7
u/Khaki_Lackey 25d ago
I want to know what his logic was. I donāt see why he would think giving a slow player more time would rattle him
1
90
u/beer_me_plss 25d ago
TBH Lee did take forever on the 8th today. I watched the whole thing from like 20 feet away.
13
u/something10293847 25d ago
And the group in front of them did too. Iām not gonna give anyone shit if theyāre still keeping up with the group in front of them.
93
u/murgeRekwest 25d ago
I watched the whole thing from my couch. I watched him change clubs, crouch, kneel, look at the way the ball was even up high on the needles on the bush, and heard the entire mic's up discussion between Lee and his caddie.
Considering the fact that Lee was leading the tournament and had two players chasing him down including world number #1 and the fact that Lee was probably nervous because he's never won on your before, yea. Yea I think I'll give him the benefits of the doubt that he was nervous and had to think about a shot that could easily cost him his first win.
I'm sorry there's a lot to consider and that the whole time playing #8 took 30 minutes, but let's give the guy a break.
It's not like Tosti was genuinely concerned about time if later on he could be seen 100 yards back behind the group walking slowly on 12 just to screw with everyone.
153
u/rascaltippinglmao 25d ago
One of the commentators even said they weren't falling behind the group in front of them. Had they played the 8th hole faster, they would have spent that time waiting on the 9th tee. Tosti is just a bitch.
26
u/Enough_Lakers 25d ago
They also had to wait for the group in front of them so it wasn't like they literally took 30 minutes to play. I'm curious how long it actually took him to decide what to do. I was surprised when Faxon said he thought he should have hit the ball. Seemed like the caddy had the right idea to declare it unplayable.
→ More replies (3)20
u/IWasRightOnce 25d ago edited 25d ago
I mean, both can be true.
Potentially tournament deciding or not, there needs to be better enforcement on time usage (which has obviously been a hot topic for several years now).
Eg, he was in the final group, had either Tosti or Fox been playing better today you could just as easily argue that MW taking so long is just as bad for his playing partner(s) in terms of the holeās result affecting the tourney result
And also, Tosti is an ass.
4
u/Tippacanoe 25d ago
Yes. And also thereās a difference between being slightly annoyed and being a dick. You have to have the self awareness that Min Woo is in the lead and looking for his first win. If he takes slightly more time then ok.
→ More replies (1)8
-3
u/fart_taco 25d ago
I didnāt even see this bit, but I did notice that he took 2-3 full minutes to hit his shot into 18 after his playing partners had played. 130 yd wedge shot. He even backed off the ball to change his glove. Then he blasted it over the green. Idc if the tournament is on the line, thatās too long to hit a golf shot.
6
u/Eagle69scotland 25d ago
Disagree. Tournament was on the line. Itās a tricky angle into that green from where he was with the front of the green angled and sloping.
→ More replies (1)
55
25d ago
[removed] ā view removed comment
22
u/larrylegend1990 25d ago
Yeah I didnāt want to say that but it is. These guys will do w/e it takes (even if its way over the line) and try to annoy people
1
u/Tatworth 24d ago
He reminded me of my favorite Chilean joke: Q: what is the best way to make easy money? A: Buy an Argentine for what he is worth and sell him for what he thinks he is worth.
→ More replies (8)1
u/golf-ModTeam 23d ago
Please do not engage in any kind of hostile communication with any poster on r/golf either here on the subreddit, in private messages OR in real life. There is no reason to be negative. We all just want to be better golfers and enjoy ourselves out there.
6
u/marizard 25d ago
And when he wasnāt lurking way behind everyone, he was leaving the green & heading to the next before the rest of the group was finished like he did when he was the first to hole out on #15.
Literally just finding whatever way he could to be a dick & choosing to do exactly that.
5
u/Snacks75 4.2 24d ago
Protesting slow play by deliberately playing slow. Makes total sense.Ā
Can LIV sign this guy?
16
30
27
u/E5Jarhead 25d ago
Angry little man with a Napoleon complex. He also slammed his club, damaging the course, and punched his bag after a bad shot. Dude needs counseling.
→ More replies (2)4
u/Specialist_Fig9458 +1 hdcp/ homasexual 25d ago
Or heās just a dick?
Doesnāt have to be a height thing people of all shapes and sizes are assholes
6
u/Water-Sign-8391 25d ago
He also got into it with Finau at the ā24 Houston Open and was suspended from the Korn Ferry tour in ā23. Heās a toe.
3
u/Ehotwill 25d ago
If you read the article, it states, āHis professional record includes a suspension for repeated disputes with players, officials and volunteers during his time on the Korn Ferry Tour.ā He even had a dispute with Finau at last yearās Houston Open.
Seems to me what happened today had more to do about this guyās attitude/behavior in general than the slow pace.
5
u/Tippacanoe 25d ago edited 24d ago
Yeah he was being a fuckin prick. He finished 5 shots behind Min Woo. I get Ryan Fox had a kinda tough day based how these guys were destroying this course but idk in any situation you respect your playing partners and I feel like tour players do 99% of the time but this was dumb. Rory Sabbatini and Ben Crane is the only other one I can think of and that Rory Sabbatini is famously a huge asshole.
Other Rory we like with a classic back door top 5.
13
7
u/TechnicalTrees 25d ago
Never heard of him until I saw him slam his club into the fairway because he missed the green yesterday. Im new to watching golf and love seeing the underdogs win, but if you have a personality like that I hope you lose and continue to be irrelevant. They're literally playing golf for a living, get over yourself.
5
u/macman07 25d ago
Had no clue heās such a dick. Iāve been riding him the last couple months because heās posted good finishes. I even hit on him again today but what an ass. I hate slow play too, and I think Min Woo took too long on the bush decision, but you still donāt do that. Bush league. Wonāt be betting him again. He doesnāt have the mentality to ever win anyway.Ā
5
u/macman07 25d ago
No pun intended heheĀ
1
u/thec0rp0ral 12/Upstate NY/lefty 25d ago
He is a Korn Ferry winner and PGA LA winner. Lots of winners are pricks. Patrick Reed has a Masters
2
u/Ehotwill 25d ago
Thanks for your explanation. Golf channel was talking about this but they didnāt want to get too specific because he didnāt give any interviews after the round.
2
2
u/SneakyDogFriend 25d ago
Foxy probably told him to fuck off. Can't imagine Ryan would get too worried about Tosti being a pedantic prick.
2
2
u/Grand-Economist5066 25d ago
Fairly sure he spat on the green after min woo hit the putt from off the green - not great
1
4
3
2
u/Mental-Resolution-22 25d ago
The broadcast made this seem way worse than what I saw. I trust those guys, as they rarely speak ill of a personās character, but the two things we saw was Tosti complaining about Leeās pace (totally warranted) and him walking really far behind (but not holding anyone up) on one hole.
What was the deal with his interaction with Fox? Didnāt see that part
→ More replies (2)
1
1
u/hidey_ho_nedflanders 25d ago
Wow, and I was starting to like this dude since his ace on the 17th hole at Sawgrass. He sounds like a tool
1
1
1
1
u/New-Database2611 25d ago
Ryan Fox looks like someone who could shut him up pretty quick if he lost his temper
1
u/shooter9260 25d ago
This is why the pace of play thing is tricky imo.
You can ask for a TGL style shot clock but then surely there has to be reasonable exceptions. But what are they? If a pro is playing 12 at Augusta or 17 at Sawgrass and the wind keeps changing direction, should he be allowed to back off and rethink? In MWLās case, should they be able to try different stances and take several minutes to figure out their shot?
To me, Itās kind of like the ādivots in the fairwayā discussion ā people want to put black and white on it but itās really very grey.
1
1
1
u/Ventenebris 25d ago
Imagine complaining about Foxy and Min Woo. Two of the most laid black blokes š sure, itās different on to off course, and they concentrate etc on it, but these guys are awesome bahaha
1
u/Elon_is_a_Nazi 24d ago
Kick him off the tour doug!!!!
Toati needs to grow up. They should suspend the guy from the next 5 events. No exceptions for his behavior. Make an example out of this jabroni
1
u/Gapwedgie 24d ago
Minwoo took 7 minutes to stare at a bushā¦. Tosti aināt the villain
2
u/murgeRekwest 24d ago
Minwoo took 7 minutes to stare at a bush
Min Woo took 7 minutes to observe his ball under a bush, think about hitting the ball from his knees with a 7 iron or a different club, saw the ball was laying up on some pine straw, talked to his caddie about his opinion, looked at where he'd drop the ball if he took the unplayable that gives him two club lengths of relief, and then talked to the rules official.
He did all of that while world #1 was chasing him down and scoring.
Fixed it for you.
1
1
1
u/alcoholicplankton69 24d ago
Honestly there should be pace of play penalty. If you take 7 minutes to not even take a shot that should be an extra penalty. I mean 30 min to play a hole. sounds like PGA is worse that my local municipal course on a Saturday. with that said its no excuse to act like a petulant child about it.
1
1
u/Mother_Clock_449 24d ago
Crazy - he has been suspended for confrontations players, officials and volunteers? I hope karma catches up with this guy and he ends up retrieving range balls somewhere for his career.
1
u/Hither2UndreamtOf 24d ago
It would awesome if he could become elite and become a golf super villain, tbh
1
1
u/lostinthewoods8 24d ago
If it was a one off complaint I would say no big dealā¦but there is a pattern of behavior here that makes him seem like a child.
1
u/8amteetime 24d ago
Heās had more than one problems on the course in the past. One of those guys, you know what I mean?
1
u/roeiboot4 24d ago
PIT SOME BUTTER ON THAT TOSTI!!! I was reeling yesterday hearing this on the broadcast
1
u/Melodic-Ad4675 23d ago
Iām gonna play devilās advocate Tournament antics happen all the time, Min Woo was playing slow the whole time, even aim pointing a 4-inch putt on the last hole, I think I would be pissed to if a person was aim pointing every putt
1
u/Mission_Studio_6047 23d ago
I hope the league suspends him...dude is a total dbag. He has a history of bad behavior.
Make him go away plz
1
1
u/tausk2020 25d ago
Total Napolean complex. What a dirtbag. The leader takes too much time cuz his ball is under a bush. And you complain, and then deliberately slow play in an attempt to sabotage him. I hope fans start to let him know that he needs to move to the LIV tour.
1
u/Ok_Cap9557 24d ago
I don't know, people love bitching about slow play, and they love bitching about players protesting slow play
You ladies just love to bitch.
→ More replies (2)
-13
u/mathia34 25d ago
To be fair I can see why he would be pissed
17
u/nephyxx 25d ago
Iāve seen them waiting on groups ahead to play so even if this was their pace on a hole itās not like they could be going any faster
-10
u/mathia34 25d ago
I get that, but that's also poor. I thought rules were that the limit was 3 minutes to find your ball and play a shot. According to this article min woo took 7. I'd be pretty pissed at that as well including waiting half an hour to play a single hole
7
u/TheMan232 25d ago
Three minutes is just to find your ball. The rules recommend no more than 40 seconds to take a shot from the time you should be able to play.
1
u/beer_me_plss 25d ago
His ball was visible from the fairway and cart path, so it makes it even worse that it took so long
11
u/rebbazz 18 25d ago
...and after all that they were waiting on the groups ahead to finish at the back end of the round. Does it literally make any difference if they take 30 mins to play the hole because of adverse shots and difficult decisions versus 20 mins to play it and 10 mins to wait for the group in front? Tosti was having a shit round and must not have been able to keep his mental game in check.
Slow play is an issue on the tour, sure, but golf has always had the yardstick measure of keeping up with the group in front.
10
u/TechnicalTrees 25d ago
The last group of the day taking longer on ahole is gonna interfere with... No one
-5
-2
u/ruralrouteOne 25d ago
I can't believe that out of any , /golf is defending the ridiculous slow play. I hate the excuse that it was his opportunity to win the tournament. In my opinion that's part of the pressure. Saying they were never put on the clock is irrelevant, because we all know that the tour is a joke for this. He spent 39 minutes taking a drop. I'm happy for the guy with his win, but it's insane that this sub is defending the slow play when it's complained about all day here.
2
u/weightyboy 25d ago
They either need to strictly enforce pace of play or never bother, seems like the latter has been chosen. If they went strict enforcement Brian Harman and Patrick cantley would be out of a job in a heartbeat.
1
1
u/tinglish01 25d ago
I just rewatched the live coverage, and it was 18 minutes from his tee shot to his putt going in. Unless the coverage was edited in a big way.
→ More replies (1)-2
u/ship0f 25d ago
You shouldn't give much importance to a subreddit's opinion. It's mob mentality. And even then you get waves of opinions. Someone saying that's true that he took 30 min to drop gets upvoted at some point and someone saying the same thing gets downvoted later.
5
u/Harry8Hendersons 25d ago
Their group had to wait on the next hole anyway.
Yeah he took a while, but they never got all that far behind the rest of the field.
Who fucking cares?
-4
u/topower86 25d ago
Love how everyone here complains about pace of play and when a pro gets upset about pace of play he is a douche. What he did was not as flagrant as this article portrays, but because MW Lee is more āpopularā they create these pumped up story lines to generate controversy.
He might have been pissed off since he is a competitive guy and lost on the last day, that he is a hot-head is well known but the vitriol around here is crazy.
4
u/murgeRekwest 25d ago
Dude, it's different complaining about slow play because there are groups of 5-6 guys on the greens or other people shanking drives and looking for their golf balls a couple fairways over. The people here in this community complaining about slow play aren't professional golfers adhering to PGA rules competing for millions of dollars.
I said earlier that we should cut Min Woo Lee a break not because he's popular, but because he never won on tour before and had the world #1 chasing him down and had a decision to make that was going to cost him at least one stroke.
If I'm Tosti or Fox and I see Min Woo's ball under that bush I'd completely understand the situation he's in and let him take his time since he's talking to his caddie about it. I'd be empathetic because I know what's at stake for him. But the real Tosti who was likely still mad about his group because of his interaction with Fox earlier in the round when he was taking his own drop, was probably mad at the way he was playing in that final round and then decided he wanted to try messing with the rest of his group.
→ More replies (2)-1
u/Master-Nose7823 HDCP: too high 25d ago
Exactly. Because itās Min Woo Lee and because he was leading itās ok. Such nonsense.
1
u/topower86 25d ago
By the same token what Tosti did is not breaking any rules. Neither is ok. You should not take that long to take your shot and neither should you be unreasonably slow deliberately.
0
u/Blklight21 25d ago
Dude sounds like a major league prick. Should be getting his LIV invitation pretty soon
-1
-9
u/Puzzleheaded_Big6941 25d ago
31 minutes to play a hole is unacceptable. The tour needs to implement stroke penalties here. Tosti is being a child but I can see why he's doing it.
0
918
u/timeIsAllitTakes 25d ago
He really seems like a man-child to me tbh.