Does the LIV Golf Individual Championship ring have diamonds? All you need to know about Talor Gooch’s new ring
Talor Gooch won the LIV Golf individual championship for 2023. The 31-year-old golfer received a unique gift: the LIV Golf championship ring for the achievement. Much like many fans’ imagination, the ring is made from gold and diamonds.
Created by famed jeweler Ben Baller, the LIV Golf ring is designed with 14-karat yellow gold with 10 carats of diamonds. According to LIV, it has a mixture including gold, VS and VVS diamonds, DEF color diamonds and emerald cut diamonds. The special ring’s inner band even has an inscription. It reads “1-1,” which translates to "one of one," which in turn refers to the champion player wearing it.
Baller, who’s worked with brands like the NFL and done multiple chain collaborations with high-profile athletes in the past, was handpicked to make the new ring for the Saudi-backed circuit. The ring stood out to the maker’s reputation. Opening up on the special ring, the jeweler noted that he was ecstatic to make it.
Ben Baller said:
"Will Newell, LIV’s VP of Creative, reached out to my team last April. I told him that I’d love to make the rings. I took a year absence from jewelry making and this was my first project back on my comeback tour!”
Interestingly, he also explained LIV star and RangeGoats Captain Bubba Watson’s role in the process. Baller noted that he agreed to the collaboration with the circuit after playing alongside Watson in the league's pro-am in Chicago.
While the ring’s gold and diamond quality are out in public, its value is not yet known.
Talor Gooch on the LIV Golf individual champion ring
The ring was awarded to Gooch on Wednesday. The star golfer received it from LIV CEO Greg Norman at a Party held in Miami as a prelude to the Team Championship. In fact, Norman awarded the ring while on one knee making for a big photo moment.
Commenting on his new ring, Gooch stated:
“I had no idea about it until last night. So cool… Everyone was blown away. Like, Ben Baller just made that? That’s so cool.”
Bubba Watson, a catalyst in the ring’s making, dubbed it ‘beautiful.’
It is pertinent to note that golfers usually win trophies for victories. LIV Golf’s flashy ring for its individual champion is a new approach. Despite the heat from some traditional golf fans, who accuse the circuit of copying the ‘tacky’ ring idea from the NFL, players including Gooch seem to like it.
It’ll be interesting to see if the tradition continues with LIV Golf next year.