Golfer inadvertently films himself being struck by lightning on course during storm

Sign up for our US Editor's Picks newsletter for the best exclusive stories READ: Dutton Ranch drama leakedSee more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 09:49 EDT, 11 August 2026 | Updated: 09:59 EDT, 11 August 2026 A golfer experienced a one-in-a-million scare when he was struck by lightning on the course – and he got it all on video. Chris Schiavone of Ohio shared an unbelievable video earlier this week that showed the moment he was struck during a heavy storm. Schiavone was filming his friends packing up a second golf cart in the torrential downpour and laughing at them as they scrambled to cover their clubs from the rain. He was in his own golf cart under an umbrella when a bolt of lightning struck, lighting up his screen with fire. Schiavone immediately stopped laughing and appeared to drop his phone after the strike. '1 in a 1,000,000 they say, very lucky and blessed, [lightning] is no joke! Watch to the end,' the golfer wrote alongside the video. 'Just so everyone knows, I was not holding on to an umbrella, it was in the bag keeping the clubs dry and I was standing behind the golf cart,' he added. The video quickly went viral, generating over 60,000 likes on Instagram as of Tuesday morning. Chris Schiavone shared shocking video online of his brush with lightning. He was filming his friends scrambling to cover their golf clubs when the strike hit Flames from the bolt flashed past his camera as a loud strike was heard while his friends scrambled to get out of the downpour The golfer appeared to drop the phone after the strike. He later shared the once in a lifetime video online and clarified that he was standing behind the golf cart and was not holding the umbrella Schiavone later said that he was struck on the arm and suffered minor injuries, but was recovering. Chris Schiavone shared the video online, writing that he was 'very lucky and blessed' to have walked away from the strike Many commenters questioned why Schiavone was on the course during a storm, noting that lightning safety 101 also warns against sheltering under trees. 'Before the strike I was thinking doesn't every golfer know not to shelter under a tree? Guess not,' one comment read. 'Before the lightning ever struck I wondered why you're sitting on a golf course under a tree..... you're asking for it!' a second agreed. 'The lord spoke loudly here... don't laugh at others misfortune...I'm waiting for my lightning strike now too [laughing emoji] ... but really an umbrella during a storm is brave dude, glad you're good,' another added. 'Dudes holding an umbrella… standing under a tree … in a lightning storm …(2 of the first things not to do) laughing at the other guys who are 100x safer lol .. the irony here is too much,' wrote a third. 'Do you think his phone is charged,' a fourth joked. The odds of getting struck by lightning in any given year are over one in one million and one in 15,300 in a lifetime, according to the National Weather Service. Although the experience is jarring, only about 10 percent of people who are struck by lightning die. If you are caught in a storm on the course, do not stand under trees or sit in a golf cart, and stay away from golf clubs or water.