Alejandro Tosti’s caddie quit on him midway through the first round of the PGA Tour’s Biltmore Championship Asheville on Thursday at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove in Asheville, North Carolina.
Tosti, a 30-year-old Argentine golfer who entered the week No. 186 in the FedEx Cup Fall standings, was grouped with Luke Clanton and Spencer Oxendine in the 8:59 a.m. tee time off the 10th tee.
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Tosti was playing the 18th hole, his ninth of the day, when caddie Cliff Ellis dropped the bag, took off his caddie bib and walked off, according to a source that was at the tournament.
When reached via text for comment, Tosti cracked, “He couldn’t keep up with eight pars in a row,” a reference to his start of his round and added three sideways laughing emojis, the tilted yellow face laughing hard with tears streaming down.
Alejandro Tosti of Argentina applies sunscreen as he plays the 10th hole during the first round of the Biltmore Championship Asheville 2026 at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove on September 17, 2026 in Arden, North Carolina.
Tosti made par on the first 11 holes and signed for 1-over 72. He has been tabbed a fiery player and there has been friction with caddies before. Ryan French of The Monday Q, chronicled a time he cursed repeatedly at caddie Ray Yoel during a Korn Ferry Tour event in 2023 and he is known for changing caddies frequently.
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Tosti has also rubbed some of his competitors the wrong way. He was suspended in 2023 during the Korn Ferry Tour playoffs for conduct unbecoming a professional after “expletive-filled outbursts” both with players and rules officials. One veteran of the Tour said Tosti is a sweetheart to be around in pro-ams and described him as a “Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde type.” He continued: “I asked him one morning at breakfast, ‘Why are you such a jerk?’ He said, ‘I’m only a jerk Thursday through Sunday. That’s my chance to make money and I don’t like anyone getting in the way of me getting my money.’ “
Tosti is the first to admit that he runs hot and he struggles with the mental side of the game. “It’s been the challenge for me my whole life, dealing with myself,” he told Golfweek in late 2024 after securing his Tour card at Q-School.
According to a source on the scene, Tosti and Ellis were already at odds on Tuesday during a practice round. But Tosti was blindsided by his mid-round departure. He was under the impression his caddie was using a bathroom short of the 18th green and went to the first tee, but his caddie had said no mas.
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Earlier this year, Tosti made headlines when he had his caddie wear “Need a wife” on his bib at the Valspar Championship.
Tosti still has some catching up to do to Australian Robert Allenby, who had at least four caddies throw in the towel during a round. At the 2015 RBC Canadian Open, Mick Middlemo called it quits after a heated confrontation in which Allenby became verbally abusive.
Tosti is scheduled to tee off in the second round on Friday at 1:49 p.m. ET, which should give him plenty of time to find a replacement to lug his bag.
Adam Schupak is a senior writer for Golfweek, covering the PGA Tour.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Caddie quits on PGA Tour pro mid-round
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