It’s no secret that professional golfers replace their caddies, but it’s rare that we see a player-caddie relationship end midway through a competitive round.
Playing the Biltmore Championship, Alejandro Tosti and his caddie, Cliff Ellis, started the event on the back nine on Thursday, with the pair making eight pars in a row as they came to the 18th.
Sitting level-par, the duo were walking up the fairway in what appeared to be a heated discussion, before Ellis was then seen removing his bib and walking off the course.
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🚨🏌️✌️ #WALK OFF: Alejandro Tosti’s caddie Cliff Ellis quit on him part way through round 1 of the Biltmore Championship in Asheville on Thursday. Ellis ripped off the caddie bib & walked off, forcing Tosti to pull someone from the crowd & caddy for him 🫨 pic.twitter.com/A7T2B4SYfsSeptember 19, 2026
The reason for the walk off is unclear, with Tosti forced to enlist a spectator from the gallery to caddie for him the rest of the round.
Making nine pars for the first nine, two birdies, three bogeys and four pars meant a one-over-par 72 on Thursday, with a level-par second round on Friday meaning the Argentinian missed the cut by four strokes.
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It’s not the first time we have seen incidents involving Tosti. Back in 2023, he was suspended during the Korn Ferry Tour’s playoffs for conduct unbecoming a professional.
Tosti during his first round of the Biltmore Championship on Thursday
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Two years later, in 2025, the broadcast team at the Texas Children’s Houston Open claimed the Argentinian was deliberately playing slowly to put off his playing partner, Min Woo Lee.
Following the accusation, Tosti responded to Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine, stating: “Bones (Jim Mackay) talking s**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.”
Returning to the Biltmore Championship where, at the halfway stage, it’s Neal Shipley who leads, with the American 15-under and one clear of Ben Kohles.