Why Caddie Cliff Ellis Quit Working for a PGA Tour Pro in the Middle of a Round

According to the former caddie, the umbrella was the trigger, but not the only problem: In a radio interview, Cliff Ellis describes how an argument with Alejandro Tosti escalated. Tosti had partially denied earlier allegations.

Cliff Ellis has explained his surprise departure from the PGA Tour’s Biltmore Championship. In an interview with The Tee Box Golf Show, the former caddie described how an argument over an umbrella on the 18th hole turned into a personal confrontation. According to Ellis, this was the final conflict in what had already been a tense week.

“The whole week was just absurd. Completely outlandish and crazy things were constantly happening between us,” Ellis said in the interview. As early as Thursday morning, there had been an argument on the driving range over where Tosti’s golf bag should be placed. Ellis had tried to calm the situation and shift the focus back to the round.

According to Ellis, the argument later escalated on the 18th hole—Tosti’s ninth hole of the day, since he had started his round at the 10th tee. When Ellis picked up the bag, Tosti asked why there was an umbrella inside. Ellis pointed out that it might rain and that Tosti also used the umbrella for sun protection. Tosti said he places a high value on having a particularly lightweight bag; he told MondayQ that the umbrella weighs about three pounds.

The dispute over the equipment turned into a personal argument, Ellis said. Tosti had used an insult. Ellis did not mention the specific word on the radio: “He used a word that I can’t say here on the radio.” According to Ellis, he asked Tosti to take back what he said: “I’ll give you a moment to take that back, then we can move on.” Tosti, however, stood by his statement.

Ellis then ended their working relationship. “I’m done with you, I’m leaving, I’m quitting,” he recalled saying. Tosti asked if he was serious. Ellis replied, “I’m not joking—who would put themselves through something like that?” Video footage showed Ellis setting down the bag, taking off his caddie bib, and leaving the course. Tosti finished the rest of the round with a spectator carrying his bag. Tosti later joked to Golfweek that Ellis “couldn’t handle eight Pars in a row.”

Two Different Accounts

Ellis’s new account adds to his earlier account given to Ryan French of MondayQ. There, Ellis had reported that Tosti repeatedly called him a “dumbass” on the 18th hole. Tosti denied this: “That’s not a word I use.” The two also had differing recollections of a moment after the 17th hole. Ellis said he had advised Tosti to put the previous shots behind him; Tosti described Ellis as having given him a fist bump and having been “hyped up.”

There is no record in the available reports of Tosti’s reaction to the specific statements made in the radio interview. In his conversation with MondayQ, he confirmed that the exchange under the umbrella had been tense, but contradicted Ellis’s account of the choice of words. He also stated that he takes pride in carrying the lightest bag possible.

Conflicts Even Before Asheville

According to MondayQ, the two had begun working together in May. Ellis was to receive six percent of Tosti’s prize money but no weekly base salary. Tosti said, according to the report, that this arrangement had been Ellis’s suggestion. There were later conflicting accounts regarding the payment of Ellis’s share of the Canadian Open winnings: Ellis said the money didn’t arrive until more than a month after the tournament. Tosti denied any intentional delay and explained that he had been waiting for a tax document. MondayQ reported that Tosti had documented an invoice dated July 7 and a payment dated July 20.

There was also tension during the rounds, Ellis said. At the Rocket Classic in Detroit, according to Ellis’ account, Tosti slammed clubs on the ground and threw a club toward the bag. Ellis emphasized that he did not believe it had been thrown at him intentionally. Tosti confirmed to MondayQ that Tour officials had spoken with him after the incident.

According to Ellis’ account, his walkout in Asheville was therefore not merely a reaction to an umbrella in the bag, but the culmination of a series of conflicts. Exactly what was said during the individual exchanges remains a matter of dispute. According to MondayQ, both Ellis and Tosti said that the incident at the Biltmore Championship did not result in any sanctions against them by the Tour.