Chris Schiavone was laughing at his buddies as they wrestled a stuck golf cart up a grassy hill, camera rolling, when a bolt of lightning found him.

Schiavone, the victim, recorded the entire incident at a course in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was playing in a charity golf scramble when a severe storm came through, forcing everyone to flee and to seek shelter. Schiavone, however, remained standing under a tree and used an umbrella.

The three men he was filming were his buddies, hauling the cart up a grassy incline in the rain. The footage ended with a flash of sparks.

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Schiavone later uploaded this video on Instagram, writing, “1 in a 1,000,000 they say, very lucky and blessed, ⚡️is no joke! Watch to the end.”

Despite being struck by lightning, Schiavone is alive and well, meteorologist Matt Devitt confirmed via an X post. He added that Schiavone called himself “incredibly lucky” to have survived the incident. However, as per ABC7 News, he temporarily lost his hearing and feeling in his entire body, adding, “It was an extremely terrifying and painful experience.”

Hardly a unique experience, however. Back in 1975, Lee Trevino was hit by lightning during the Western Open. Trevino made a famous quip about 1-irons during lightning. If you don’t remember, it was this one, as per BroBible: “If you are caught on a golf course during a storm and are afraid of lightning, hold up a 1-iron. Not even God can hit a 1-iron.”

The pattern isn’t just history, though. In June 2025, a Texas father of three was killed by lightning while golfing in Gunter, Texas, when a single storm cell rolled in with almost no warning.

As per the National Weather Service (NWS), lightning can strike from several miles from the center of the storm.

And the numbers behind this particular case are huge.

The data behind the critical advice

As per NWS, lightning claims about 20 lives annually in the U.S. So far this year, there have been four confirmed lightning deaths, including two in Florida.

The previous year tallied 21 fatalities, with two casualties while golfing. However, only about 10% of lightning strikes prove fatal, though many survivors face lasting disabilities. The same report, cited by Complex, puts Americans’ lifetime risk of being struck at about 1 in 15,300.

People, however, consider his survival a surprise in itself.

Hard to make sense of him still being alive, say netizens

Under the update shared by the same meteorologist, one person commented, “I saw that… can’t believe he’s alive.” While a second person wrote, “i swear. people have zero life skills these days. under a tree when there’s lightning? pickin up rattle snakes, etc.”

Well, here’s a wild stat to address these comments. According to a Fox Weather report, nearly half of golf-related lightning fatalities from 2006–2023 occurred when victims sought shelter under trees. It is not proven that golfers are disproportionately affected by such incidents, but it is always advised to seek safer shelter during thunderstorms.

A third person commented under Schiavone’s Instagram post, “I seen somewhere that this happened in Cincinnati.” Another chimed in, “That was fabricated and set up for show, anyone with a 50 of intelligence knows not to play with metal rods in a thunderstorm 😂😂.”

It does not look fabricated, however. Besides, multiple people have been struck by lightning during a round of golf. In June, a man playing alone at The Oregon Golf Club was struck by lightning around 2:47 PM local time. He lost consciousness at once and called an ambulance when he regained it. He was later admitted to the hospital.

Most of the people, however, did not understand Schiavone’s logic of standing under a tree. One wrote, “Does this man have absolutely ZERO sense of self preservation?”

Besides avoiding trees during a storm, it’s best to avoid using an umbrella during a thunderstorm. Umbrellas often contain metal components that can conduct electricity, and holding one overhead may increase your exposure to lightning. Experts urge golfers to heed the safety lesson.