Alejandro Tosti was walking toward the 18th green, the 9th hole of his opening round after starting on the back nine, at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove when his caddie, Cliff Ellis, dropped his bag, removed his bib, and just walked off. When contacted by Golfweek writer Adam Schupak, Tosti initially joked about the incident. He said that his caddie “couldn’t keep up with eight pars in a row.” The Argentine professional was referring to eight consecutive pars from holes 10 through 17 before Ellis took off.

But the actual details of the incident have now come to light, and it is none other than the caddie himself who has shared the story. After leaving his job mid-round, Cliff Ellis connected with Monday Q Info’s Ryan French anonymously to share his side of the story.

According to Ellis, it resulted from a series of events up to that point. The pair started working together at the 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson. Some media reports note that Ellis had looped for Tosti on and off on a few occasions before that.

However, their arrangement was unorthodox. Unlike most other PGA Tour caddies, who receive around a $2,000 weekly salary plus a small percentage of the prize money the professional earns, Alejandro Tosti didn’t offer any weekly salary. Instead, the caddie would get a standard 6% cut of the Argentinian’s paycheck.

But according to Tosti, Ellis suggested this arrangement, not him. The PGA Tour pro even shared screenshots of their exchange after the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, where Tosti asked if Ellis wanted to continue, and the caddie confirmed he did.

During their time together, though, Tosti made the cut only at the Canadian Open, finishing T40. He made $40,670, but Ellis said that the golfer took over a month to clear his payment. Responding to this, Alejandro Tosti noted that he was waiting for a W-9 from Ellis.

There was also an Airbnb incident in which Tosti claims Ellis had a friend staying with them. However, the friend never paid for his stay.

While financial issues could have the biggest impact, the pair had many other problems. The caddie told French that the Argentinian lost his temper almost every week, and Ellis usually bore the brunt of that anger. For example, Tosti advised Ellis not to do anything unless he told him at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship. But then, Tosti lost his temper when Ellis didn’t pull the flag immediately on the 14th hole. The golfer then used the F-word multiple times.

Then, at the Rocket Classic, Alejandro Tosti opened with an 82. According to Ellis, the 30-year-old lost his cool multiple times during the round. He even got a warning from the officials for his behavior.

But the final nail in the coffin of their partnership was the umbrella in the bag. On the par-four 18th hole of the opening round at the Biltmore Championship, Tosti used a wedge for his second stroke. After the shot, Ellis went to replace the divot. When he returned, Tosti had seen the umbrella in the bag. He confronted the caddie, to which Ellis responded that he thought there was a slight chance of rain.

Ellis said that Tosti told him about taking pride in having the lightest bag on the PGA Tour, but the umbrella added three pounds. As a result, Alejandro Tosti started repeatedly calling Ellis “dumb***.” The Argentine professional acknowledged the discussion, but he refused to have used the word dumb***.

Between the fairway and the green on the 18th hole, Ellis threatened to drop the bag multiple times, but Tosti didn’t respond much. In the end, the caddie dropped the bag and left, while the PGA Tour pro had a fan carry his bag for the rest of the round.

Ellis also said Andy Levinson, the PGA Tour’s senior vice president of tournament administration, called him soon after the incident. The conversation focused on the unprofessionalism of leaving a player mid-round and why Ellis shouldn’t have gone to the media.

“He talked to me like he was my dad, and no one talks to me like that except my dad,” Ellis said about Levinson’s tone.

This left Ellis in a tough spot, but he ultimately decided to tell his story to the fans through Monday Q Info. Neither Ellis nor Alejandro Tosti has faced any disciplinary action for what transpired during the opening round of the Biltmore Championship 2026.

But this wasn’t the first time Tosti was involved in an incident tied to his temper.

Alejandro Tosti was suspended in 2023 for behavioral issues

Tosti has a reputation for his rude behavior on the course. During a New Jersey event in the 2023 Korn Ferry Tour campaign, he repeatedly cursed his caddie, Ray Yoel. Then, at the 2023 Albertsons Boise Open, officials suspended him mid-round for misconduct.

The Argentinian has admitted to having a short temper.

“It’s been the challenge for me my whole life, dealing with myself,” he told Golfweek in 2024.

Alejandro Tosti has said he likes to stay very focused on winning on tournament days. Therefore, if anyone gets in the way and makes him angry even a bit, he can get very frustrated.

Tosti has even had a confrontation with Tony Finau at the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open. Tosti believed Finau’s putt was farther away than his own. But when Thomas Detry sided with Finau, Tosti had to take his shot first. He failed to make a birdie on that hole. But when he made a birdie on the next hole, he directed fist pumps at Finau.

Alejandro Tosti is currently working with a psychologist to help control his emotions on the course. But his fallout with Cliff Ellis adds another episode to a history of on-course confrontations and temper-related controversies.