Alejandro Tosti appears to purposely slow play Min Woo Lee in protest of pace at Houston Open (Update: Tosti responds)

Alejandro Tosti appeared to stage a protest against playing partner Min Woo Lee's pace during Sunday's final round of the Texas Children's Houston Open.

The tension began at the par-5 eighth hole where Lee, in pursuit of his maiden PGA Tour victory, sent his tee shot right, with his ball settling awkwardly under a bush. NBC's broadcast captured Lee spending seven minutes from locating his ball to executing his shot—exploring multiple options including attempting to play from his knees before ultimately taking an unplayable lie and punching out. Despite the ordeal, Lee managed an impressive par save.

However, cameras caught Tosti engaged in conversation with a marshal, with broadcasters noting the discussion centered on Tosti's growing frustration with Lee's deliberate pace, as the group took 30 minutes to finish the hole. This wasn't Tosti's first confrontation of the day. NBC on-course reporter Jim "Bones" Mackay revealed that Tosti had already clashed with Ryan Fox earlier in the round. According to Mackay, Tosti had been "disrespectful" to Fox during a drop situation at the first hole, setting a contentious tone for the day.

The situation escalated at the 12th hole, where television cameras panned out to show Tosti lagging significantly behind—approximately 100 yards back of Lee—in what NBC commentators described as a deliberate attempt to disrupt play.

RELATED: Does golf have Alejandro Tosti all wrong?

"I don't know what's going on, but Tosti is playing at his own pace. At times, it's normal. At times, it's glacially slow," Mackay observed. "But he's decided on this particular hole to really take his time, and he's holding up play in this last group."

UPDATE: On Monday morning, Tosti responded on social media, writing "Bones talking sh*t for the fans. Saying l am walking 50 yards behind and 'trying to slow playing my partner.' The part you don’t see is that l used the restroom and prepared myself a drink." He also told Handicap 54 that he wasn't upset with Fox.

This incident adds to Tosti's growing reputation as one of the tour's more controversial figures. Despite his undeniable talent in just his sophomore year on tour, the Argentine has developed a reputation as something of an outsider due to his confrontational behavior. His 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 Tosti—at last year's tournament, he was involved in another incident with Tony Finau regarding proper order of play.