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Golfing great Shane Lowry<\/a> has won a Claret Jug, competed in Ryder Cups, and this year drained a hole-in-one at the Masters in front of a roaring crowd. But ask him about his proudest role, and he brings up his father Brendan, a former Gaelic football player, who needed both a hip and knee replacement. Shane took on the role and responsibilities of caregiver, and that experience is at the heart of his new partnership with Stryker<\/a>, a global medical technology leader.\u00a0<\/p>\n The company\u2019s mission, says Joint Replacement division president Katherine Truppi, is simple: \u201cTogether with our customers, we are driven to make healthcare better.\u201d Truppi says the Lowry partnership was a chance to shine a light on an \u201cunder-recognized role\u201d \u2014 the caregiver \u2014 and to help other families feel less alone navigating a similar journey. I caught up with Shane as he prepares to battle it out at the 2026 Irish Open to talk about his dad, preventative health, and what it actually feels like to make a hole-in-one on one of golf\u2019s biggest stages.<\/p>\n Dan Bova: What drew you to this partnership with Stryker? A lot of us find ourselves in that \u201csandwich generation\u201d \u2014 caring for aging parents while raising our own kids. What did it mean to be able to help your dad through this?<\/strong> Men in particular aren\u2019t always great about taking care of themselves and tend to put off procedures like this. What would you say to someone who\u2019s putting it off?<\/strong> What do you say to entrepreneurs reading this \u2014 hard-charging people working a million hours, probably not eating great, probably not exercising as much as they should?<\/strong> We\u2019ve talked a lot about physical struggles \u2014 let\u2019s talk about something a little more fun. What does it actually feel like to hit a hole-in-one?<\/strong>
Shane Lowry:<\/strong> I\u2019m in a fortunate position where I get the opportunity to meet so many people, and I get to pick the partnerships I choose to get involved with. This one for me was pretty straightforward \u2014 my dad had hip replacement surgery 10 or 12 years ago. His hip worked for a while and took pressure off his knee, but ultimately his knee was always the problem, and he ended up getting a knee replacement a few years ago. Both are Stryker products, and he\u2019s still going pretty strong now.<\/p>\n\n
<\/strong>I\u2019ve got my own 18-month-old, so I\u2019m forging my own path, building my own life, and taking care of my own family. But I feel like I\u2019ve been in a fortunate position where I can take care of my parents, too. When it came time for my dad to get something done about his hip, I was able to go find the right people. My dad\u2019s still only 67 \u2014 he\u2019s young, so he doesn\u2019t need that much taking care of. But when you\u2019re able to help him through tougher times, it\u2019s pretty fulfilling, to be honest.<\/p>\n
<\/strong>There\u2019s nothing wrong with going and getting a consultation and seeing how much it can help you. Because when you do that, you\u2019ll realize you can go from not being able to do simple everyday jobs \u2014 my dad used to have trouble tying his shoelaces \u2014 to being back out there. As you get older, you want to be out and about with your grandkids, kicking a ball, playing golf. I think the hardest part for most people is the original step toward the consultation and starting the ball rolling. But once you do that, you realize it\u2019s the right thing for you.<\/p>\n
<\/strong>It\u2019s hugely important to take care of yourself, your body and your mind. A small bit of exercise and eating the right stuff and other stuff in moderation \u2014 you need to enjoy yourself at times too \u2014 but it\u2019s very important to take care of yourself. I think as I\u2019ve gotten older, having kids, I\u2019ve realized I want to stay younger for longer. And I think if you have a friend or family member and you see them limping or struggling through everyday life, don\u2019t be afraid to say something. Don\u2019t be afraid to ask, \u201cDo you think you should get this checked out?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/strong>It\u2019s a funny thing, because you\u2019re obviously aiming there, right? That\u2019s the object of golf \u2014 get the ball in the hole as quickly as you can. But you don\u2019t stand up on a hole and go, \u201cRight, I\u2019m going to make a hole-in-one here.\u201d You\u2019re trying to hit the best shot you can, and sometimes it just comes off. I\u2019ve been fortunate to make a few really good ones \u2014 most recently this year at the Masters, on the Saturday afternoon, playing with one of my good friends, I made a hole-in-one on the sixth. To put myself right into contention at one of the biggest tournaments in the world \u2014 there aren\u2019t many better feelings, to be honest with you. It\u2019s a funny thing too, because when it happens in the middle of your round, your adrenaline goes through the roof, and you actually spend the next twenty minutes trying to get your heart rate back down, because you\u2019ve still got a lot of golf to play. But it\u2019s a very cool thing to have 20,000 people there cheering you on.\u00a0<\/p>\n