Alejandro Tosti’s first round at the Biltmore Championship Asheville changed in an instant Thursday when Cliff Ellis dropped the bag, took off his bib and walked away during the round. The caddie quit while Tosti was playing the 18th hole, his ninth of the day, leaving the 30-year-old to finish the round on his own terms and then figure out who, if anyone, would carry the bag on Friday.
That mattered immediately because Tosti entered the week No. 186 in the FedEx Cup Fall standings, and every round now carries weight at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove in Asheville, North Carolina. He teed off at 8:59 a.m. off the 10th tee with Luke Clanton and Spencer Oxendine in the group, so the walk-off landed in the middle of a PGA Tour round that already had him trying to protect scoring opportunities.
Tosti still held his game together for much of the day. He made par on the first 11 holes and signed for 1-over 72, a steadier score than the scene around him suggested. But the scorecard did not hide the break with Ellis, who was already on uneasy ground with Tosti before Thursday’s round began. A source on the scene said the two were at odds on Tuesday during a practice round, and the split on Thursday followed a stretch in which Tosti believed his caddie had stepped away for a bathroom stop short of the 18th green. When he went to the first tee, Ellis was gone.
The gap matters because it fits a pattern around Tosti, who has built a reputation for sharp edges and frequent caddie changes. He was suspended in 2023 during the Korn Ferry Tour playoffs for conduct unbecoming a professional after expletive-filled outbursts with players and rules officials, and he has drawn similar labels from people around the game. One veteran of the Tour once called him a “Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde type,” and Tosti himself has acknowledged the fight to keep his emotions in check. Earlier in 2024, he even had a caddie wear “Need a wife” on his bib at the Valspar Championship, a detail that underscored how much of his public identity has become tied to friction.
The unresolved question is not whether Tosti will keep playing; it is who will be standing beside him when he does. He is scheduled to tee off in the second round on Friday at 1:49 p.m. ET, and the round will show whether he has found a replacement or has to navigate another PGA Tour start in motion without the usual help. For now, the most telling detail is that a player known for instability lost his caddie in the middle of a round and still had to walk in with a 72.
