Caddie Quits Mid-Round, Citing Player's 'Angry' Outbursts

A heated dispute over an umbrella led to golfer Alejandro Tosti's caddie, Cliff Ellis, abandoning him mid-round at the Biltmore Championship in Asheville, North Carolina. The incident, which has drawn comparisons to the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard trial, reportedly stemmed from several months of tension between the two.

Ellis and Tosti began working together in May, during which Tosti only made one cut in eight events. Their agreement stipulated that Ellis would receive 6% of Tosti's winnings without a weekly salary, a departure from the typical caddie arrangement of a base salary plus a percentage. Throughout their partnership, Tosti allegedly exhibited repeated outbursts on the course, especially as missed cuts accumulated.

According to reports, Tosti became particularly volatile during the opening round of the Rocket Classic, where he shot an 82 and received warnings from PGA Tour officials. Ellis recounted an incident where he attempted to calm Tosti after a difficult pitch shot, only to be met with a threat from the Argentinian golfer. The final straw reportedly came on the subsequent hole, when Tosti allegedly repeatedly called Ellis a "dumbass" after questioning the presence of an umbrella in the bag, despite a slight chance of rain.

Tosti has disputed Ellis's account of these exchanges, stating that he takes pride in maintaining the lightest bag on tour. He also claimed that upon returning to their Airbnb, he found cigarette ashes in his bed, which he attributed to Ellis.

Ellis's decision to walk off the course left Tosti to enlist a fan from the crowd to carry his bag for the remainder of the round. Tosti ultimately missed the cut at the Biltmore Championship.