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PGA Tour golfer Alejandro Tosti next to golf caddie
Last week, we were treated to a very unexpected development at the Biltmore Championship when Alejandro Tosti’s caddie quit on him in the middle of his first round. It was initially unclear what sparked that sudden divorce, but we’ve gotten some insight courtesy of the man who decided to walk off the course.
Every golfer on the PGA Tour relies on a caddie to help them navigate the course during tournaments, and there are inevitably going to be some disagreements every now and then. However, it’s pretty rare to see any major drama unfold between those parties on the golf course.
There was an incredibly notable exception when the inaugural edition of the Biltmore Championship got underway at the Cliffs at Walnut Grove in Asheville, North Carolina last week, as Alejandro Tosti suddenly found himself without a caddie when Cliff Ellis, who’d been serving as his looper for close to four months, dropped his bag on the ground and peaced out.
HORRIBLE CADIE!! GOOD RIDDANCE#tosti #tostitracker pic.twitter.com/jeQt1fONiI
— Tosti Tracker (@TostiTracker) September 18, 2026
It was initially unclear what sparked that decision, but Ellis has shed some light on what drove him to his breaking point.
Alejandro Tosti’s caddie explained why he decided to quit midway through a round
Tosti has a reputation for being a bit of a hothead on the course, and based on what Ellis had to say during a conversation with Ryan French of Monday Q, he was all too familiar with Argentinian’s short temper heading into what ended up being his final tournament as his caddie.
The duo linked up for the first time ahead of the CJ Cup at TPC Craig Ranch in May, and Ellis said there was some tension over late payments linked to an unorthodox arrangement where he forewent a dedicated salary while agreeing to receive 6% of Tosti’s prize money.
He said he also had to deal with multiple outbursts while incurring Tosti’s wrath over perceived missteps on the course, saying he was berated for failing to pull a flag at the Charles Schwab Challenge and was almost struck by a club the golfer tossed in the direction of his bag at the Rocket Classic.
Ellis told the outlet he was chided by Tosti over the placement of his bag on the driving range before the opening round in Asheville, and he made what turned out to be an ill-advised decision to advise his partner to stop dwelling on previous shots on the eighth hole of the day.
He recounted Tosti telling him, “Don’t do that again, or I’ll get really angry” (an exchange the golfer disputed), and things took another turn when he took issue with Ellis’ decision to pack an umbrella, saying he strives to “have the lightest bag on tour” as a point of pride.
Ellis claims Tosti “repeatedly” referred to him as a “dumba—” (which he also denies) over that seemingly innocuous addition, and at that point, he decided to drop the bag before hitting his former employer with a “Good luck” while walking away.
Patrick Talledo was hired to caddie for Tosti on Friday, but he ultimately missed the cut. He will also need a bit of a miracle if he wants to automatically earn a PGA Tour card for next season, as he’s sitting in the 188th spot in the FedEx Cup Fall rankings (only the top 100 golfers will qualify when the standings are finalized upon the completion of the The RSM Classic in November).