Aeyavarin "Aeya" Pradubyart

Aeyavarin "Aeya" Pradubyart was a 15 year old Thai junior golfer whose promise on the course was cut short when she was struck by lightning during a tournament in Chachoengsao province, Thailand, on 1 November 2026. She died the following day, 2 November 2026, at Bang Nam Priao Hospital.

Aeya was a registered member of the Thai Student Golf Union (also referred to in reports as the Thai School Golf Union) and had been named a reserve for Chon Buri's provincial golf team. Earlier in 2026 she had won the girls' Class B event at the first leg of the Junior Asian Tour, held at Rayong Green Valley Country Club, taking the title in a playoff. She was due to compete in further tournaments later in the year, and those who followed junior golf in Thailand regarded her as one of the sport's rising talents.

The lightning strike occurred at around 4pm on Sunday, 1 November, as a thunderstorm moved through the Don Ko Ka subdistrict of Bang Nam Priao district, where the tournament was being held. According to her mother, Natcha Izy Samitintu, lightning had already struck near the course roughly an hour before Aeya was hit, yet play continued. Aeya's grandmother said the teenager was near the eleventh hole when the fatal strike occurred. A 31 year old caddie accompanying her was also injured and remained under medical supervision.

Course staff found Aeya unconscious and without vital signs and began CPR. Her family said her heart stopped for nearly an hour before a heartbeat was restored, and that she then fought through the night while doctors continued resuscitation efforts. Her father, who had been working in Myanmar, rushed back to Thailand and reached the hospital in time to say goodbye before she was pronounced dead on the morning of 2 November.

News of Aeya's death prompted an outpouring of grief from Thailand's golfing community and wider public, alongside sharp questions about why the tournament had not been suspended sooner once lightning was first detected in the area. Her mother announced the death in a series of emotional Facebook posts, writing that the family was letting her go so she could rest peacefully, and the family said they were bringing her home to Pattaya, where Islamic funeral rites were to be held.

Aeya's death has renewed public debate in Thailand about lightning safety protocols at outdoor youth sporting events, with her family publicly calling for changes so that no other young golfer suffers the same fate.