Chris Schiavone Films the Moment Lightning Strikes Him on a Cincinnati Golf Course
Photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images
Things got very bright, very fast and genuinely terrifying for golfer Chris Schiavone when a storm rolled through Pebble Creek Golf Course near Cincinnati, Ohio.
On August 7, 2026, Schiavone pulled out his phone while his golf partner was trying to push a cart that had become stuck in the mud. He kept filming as rain poured down — and then the screen erupted in a flash as lightning struck Schiavone himself.
The hit knocked him to the ground. Schiavone later said he temporarily lost feeling throughout his body, and reports described his injuries as non-life-threatening. Somehow, the phone kept recording long enough to capture the frightening instant it happened.
It is an incredible piece of footage, but also a reminder that a thunderstorm on a golf course is nothing to play around with. The National Weather Service warns that no place outdoors is safe when thunderstorms are in the area and specifically advises people not to shelter beneath tall or isolated trees. Golf carts are not considered safe lightning shelters either; a substantial building or hard-topped enclosed vehicle is the better move.
Illustration — not a photograph of the incident
Watch the Moment Lightning Strikes Chris Schiavone
The clip starts with Schiavone filming his friends struggling with the golf cart. Seconds later, everything changes. Watch the astonishing footage below.
Sources: ABC News, National Weather Service. Lead file photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images.
