Alejandro Tosti’s caddie walked off the course in the middle of the first round at the PGA Tour’s inaugural Biltmore Championship Asheville on Thursday, per Golfweek.
Tosti, a 30-year-old Argentine who entered the week ranked No. 186 in the FedEx Cup Fall standings, was grouped with Luke Clanton and Spencer Oxendine for an 8:59 a.m. tee time off the 10th hole at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove. He was on the 18th hole, his ninth of the day, when caddie Cliff Ellis dropped the bag, took off his caddie bib and left, according to a source at the tournament.
Tosti and Ellis had already been at odds during Tuesday’s practice round. Still, the mid-round departure caught Tosti off guard. With nine holes left and no caddie, he pulled a fan from the gallery to loop for him the rest of the way in.
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) September 18, 2026
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Reached via text for comment by Golfweek’s Adam Schupak, Tosti joked, “He couldn’t keep up with eight pars in a row,” adding three laughing emojis.
Despite the disruption, Tosti made par on his first 11 holes and signed for a 1-over 72, eight shots behind first-round leaders Max Greyserman and Eric Cole, who shared the lead at 7-under.
This isn’t the first time Tosti has made headlines involving a caddie this year. At the Valspar Championship in March, he had his caddie wear a bib reading “Need a wife,” a tournament known for encouraging creative bibs.
Tosti has developed a reputation for turnover on the bag and for clashes on course. He was suspended by the Korn Ferry Tour in 2023 following a pattern of behavior that included an expletive-filled outburst directed at playing partner Kyle Westmoreland over pace of play at the Albertsons Boise Open. In 2025, he appeared to stage a slow-play protest against Min Woo Lee during the final round of the Texas Children’s Houston Open, prompting on-course commentator Jim “Bones” Mackay to note Tosti was “playing at his own pace.”
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 18, 2026
A mid-round caddie departure is rare on the PGA Tour. Robert Allenby has had at least four caddies quit on him during a round over his career. At the 2015 RBC Canadian Open, caddie Mick Middlemo walked off following a heated confrontation with Allenby on the course.
Tosti is scheduled to tee off in the second round Friday at 1:49 p.m. ET, giving him time to find a replacement caddie before he returns to the course.
