A 28-year-old golfer named Simon John Mariani has died after being struck by lightning during a tournament at the Ballyowen Golf Course in Hardyston, New Jersey. The incident occurred on July 8 as severe storms rolled through the area.
Mariani was playing on the 15th hole when he was struck about 300 yards in front of his fellow golfer Brian Delia. According to Delia, they had stopped filming a video just before Mariani was hit by lightning and immediately headed back to the clubhouse.
After the incident, fellow golfers and an off-duty firefighter jumped into action to perform CPR on Mariani until he was rushed to a hospital by medevac. Despite the efforts, Mariani died from his injuries.
The golf course’s staff had sounded the alarm warning golfers to get to cover from lightning, but some golfers did not hear it, including Delia and his group. It is unclear why there was no alert sounded while they were on the course.
Mariani graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2019 with a degree in accounting and economics before returning for his master’s in finance in 2024. He worked as an associate at MTS Health Partners in New York City.
A funeral Mass is scheduled for Friday at the Church of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Franklin Lakes, where Mariani is survived by his parents, Scott and Kathleen Mariani, and two sisters.
Source: https://nypost.com/2025/07/16/us-news/golfer-dies-after-being-struck-by-lightning-during-quick-moving-storm-on-new-jersey-course