Robert Allenby has withdrawn from the Canadian Open following a bizarre incident with his caddie during the first round.
Allenby shot a 9-over 81 Thursday at Glen Abbey Golf Club and finished his round with a fan carrying his bag.
That's because, according to Score Golf, Allenby and caddie Mick Middlemo had a blow-up over club selection.
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Score Golf reported that Allenby and Middlemo got into a heated exchange at the 13th hole, the Australian's fourth of the day, and at the 18th the caddie walked off the course.
Golfers and caddies splitting mid-round is extremely rare but not totally unprecedented.
Jessica Korda fired her caddie after nine holes during the third round of the 2013 U.S. Open, and caddie Michael Lawson walked off the course at the 2014 Barracuda Championship, leaving Brian Stuard to depend on the kindness of strangers.
This, though, follows a strange off-course incident in Hawaii in January. After missing the cut at the Sony Open, Allenby said he was robbed and beaten and needed help from a homeless woman.
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"You think ... that happens in the movie, not real life," Allenby told the Associated Press at the time. "I'm just happy to be alive."
Allenby posted a photo on his Facebook account showing a facial injury that he said came from being thrown in the trunk of a car.
"I don't know what they hit me with between the eyeballs, whether a fist or a baseball bat," he told the Associated Press. "Whatever it was, it hurts.'" Allenby stuck to his story when he returned to play later in January, saying he had "no memory" of what happened for over two hours that night in Hawaii.
The 44-year-old has missed the cut nine times and now withdrawn twice since that incident.
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Meanwhile, the Canadian contingent fell by one on Friday after Graham DeLaet withdrew with a thumb injury.
The Weyburn, Sask., native played just four holes Friday morning before deciding to leave the tournament.
DeLaet said the injury not only caused pain when he hit shots but was making the ball flare right at times.
"Totally gutted I had to WD from our national championship. Thanks for all the kind words. Hopefully just a short recovery," DeLaet tweeted.
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"I know how much he loves playing here," fellow Canadian David Hearn told reporters after his round Friday.
"That's got to be tearing at his heart strings not being able to finish his round. I know how much this tournament means to every Canadian in this field and how much it means to Graham. I just hope he gets healthy again, soon."
The injury could be a blow to DeLaet's chances of making the Presidents Cup.
International Presidents Cup player Jason Day said he wanted to see how DeLaet's health was before recommending him to captain Nick Price.
Files from Reuters were used in this report