PGA Tour player Alejandro Tosti suddenly found himself without a caddie in the middle of his opening round Thursday, and apparently there wasn’t much of a goodbye.
Alejandro Tosti lost caddie Cliff Ellis while making the turn during the first round of the Biltmore Championship at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove, according to reports.
Tosti, a 30-year-old from Argentina, began his round on the back nine with Ellis carrying his bag. After Tosti completed the 18th hole, however, Ellis was gone.
Tosti Thought His Caddie Was Taking a Bathroom Break
The strange part was that Tosti apparently didn’t realize Ellis was leaving for good.
According to reports, Tosti believed his caddie was taking a bathroom break at the 18th hole. Ellis never came back, leaving Tosti to finish his second nine without the man who had started the day on his bag.
When Golfweek contacted Tosti afterward, he responded with a joke.
“He couldn’t keep up with eight pars in a row,” Tosti texted, adding three laughing emojis.
There may have been some warning signs before Thursday’s unexpected departure. Schupak reported that Tosti and Ellis had clashed during Tuesday’s practice round. Even with that earlier disagreement, Ellis walking away during an official tournament round caught Tosti by surprise.
Exactly what happened between the two on Thursday remains unclear.
His Share of Unusual Moments
Tosti has developed a reputation as a fiery competitor, and he has changed caddies frequently during his professional career. He was suspended during the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour playoffs for conduct unbecoming a professional.
There have been other unusual moments.
At the 2025 Texas Children’s Houston Open, Tosti appeared to stage a protest over playing partner Min Woo Lee’s pace of play.
Earlier in 2026, he attracted attention at the Valspar Championship when his caddie wore a tournament bib reading “NEED A WIFE.” The event encourages players and caddies to get creative with the bibs, and Tosti took full advantage.
Thursday’s episode was considerably less playful.
Still Managed to Finish With a 72
Despite suddenly losing his caddie, Tosti got through the round without his score unraveling. He finished with a one-over-par 72.
That left him eight shots behind Max Greyserman and Eric Cole, who shared the lead after the opening round at seven under.
Tosti is scheduled to tee off at 1:49 p.m. Friday for the second round. That gives him several hours to deal with a problem most PGA Tour players probably don’t expect between rounds: finding someone willing to pick up the bag after the previous caddie disappeared midway through the job.
