Alejandro Tosti’s caddie details the argument that ended with him quitting mid-round

Alejandro Tosti’s caddie, Cliff Ellis, has shared details of the argument that led him to walk off the course during the opening round of last week’s Biltmore Championship Asheville.

Ellis removed his bib and left Tosti’s golf bag on the 18th fairway—the pair’s ninth hole of the day—at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove in North Carolina. Golf Channel cameras captured a brief but animated exchange between Tosti and Ellis just short of the green. After Ellis left, Tosti reportedly asked a gallery spectator to carry his bag for the remaining nine holes of the first round.

Tosti shot 72, then carded 71 with a new caddie in the second round and missed the cut. He previously told Golfweek’s Adam Schupak that he thought Ellis had gone to the restroom. Ellis later gave his account on The Tee Box Golf Show podcast.

Ellis said he had worked for Tosti since the CJ Cup in May. He described their relationship as “tumultuous,” while acknowledging that Tosti is “a very nice, off-the-course gentleman” and “cordial to fans.” The pair made only three cuts during their time together.

“The whole week was just ludicrous,” Ellis said. “A lot of just off-the-wall and insane things were going on all week between him and I. Then Thursday morning we got off to a real hot start. We were on the range getting warmed up and we got into a little tussle over the placement of the bag at the driving range. Which was just insane. So I’m trying to calm him down: ‘OK, let’s stay focused on this here.’ So the day was bad. It was just terrible.”

According to Ellis, Tosti had 136 yards to the hole on the 18th. He hit a wedge, but they could not see the green or where the ball landed. The crowd’s reaction near a large grandstand told Ellis that the ball had finished close to the hole and left a makeable birdie opportunity.

“I picked the bag up. He looked at me and said, ‘Why is this umbrella in the bag?’ I said, ‘What if it rains? Or what if you want to use it for sun?’ Which is something he does often. He’ll pop the umbrella open for the walk and get under it so he doesn’t get in the sun. He said something like, ‘Well, it would be stupid to have it out here.’ I was like, ‘Are you planning on carrying this bag? What difference does it make to you?’”

Ellis said he tried to brush off the exchange. The two had a hand signal meaning “let’s stay focused,” but Tosti continued the argument and, according to Ellis, made a personal insult that he did not repeat on air.

“In the video you can kind of see me pointing to myself. I’m like, ‘You’re going to call me that over this?’ I said, ‘I’m going to let you walk that back real quick and we can go forward.’ Well, he doubled down on it, so I said, ‘You know what, I am done with you, and I’m out of here, I quit.’ He said, ‘Are you kidding me?’ And I said, ‘I’m not kidding you. Who would put themselves through this?’”

Ellis said Tosti has not contacted him since the incident, but he would be open to caddying for another player in the future. Tosti is currently No. 188 in the FedEx Cup fall rankings.

The full Ellis interview is available on The Tee Box Golf Show; his segment begins at the 37-minute mark. This article is based on Jessica Marksbury’s report for Golf.com.