LIV Golf loves to show off. The Greg Norman-headed golf league has never shied away from throwing its weight around and bringing innovations to golf tournaments. Although championship rings have been around for ages, LIV Golf did not miss this chance to show just how much they are willing to celebrate their winners with embellishments.
Their new championship ring is now paired with a ball marker and an embossed QR Code that can be scanned to show the moment the player becomes the individual champion. The ring is made of 5.78 carats of white diamonds, 1.2 carats of emeralds, UV enamel detailing, 1 carat of black diamonds, and 14-carat gold weighing 84.8 grams.
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Disrespectful to the sport
“It’s definitely a lot.” Jon Rahm said. And it definitely is. Ben Baller is the jeweler who designed the bling, and Talor Gooch, last year’s champion, already has one. Rahm and Niemann face off this weekend in Chicago to decide who gets to wear the ring and take it home.
Although Niemann said it looked cool, he wasn’t sure his wife felt the same, “Probably my wife won’t be happy knowing that my ring would have more,” he joked, referring to his wife’s wedding band. It is not just Joaquin Niemann’s wife who might be displeased with the bright shiny accessory; fans have brutally mocked the show of wealth by the Saudi-PIF-owned league.
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Championship ring comes under fire for being ‘Loud,’ ‘ugly,’ and ‘worthless’
“Golf 24…. Who designed this crap why not Golf 54,” one X user wrote in response. As mentioned before, Ben Yang, known as Ben Baller, designed the jewelry. He hails from Los Angeles and has provided many chains to hip-hop’s elite. He owns the jewelry store IF & Co.
Other users expressed their displeasure with how gaudy and big the ring and the accompaniments were. With all its gold, diamonds, and emeralds, it is surely going to be a huge piece of jewelry that will attract a lot of eyes, not all of them appreciative. “Rings, but louder (and QR codes),” one commenter wrote, while another expressed more disgust saying, “Another cringey corny L.”
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Others opined that while it may have real value in terms of money, winning LIV Golf is essentially worthless in sporting terms. This has been a long-debated question of whether one day the achievements of Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau will account for anything in the golfing world, other than bringing them enormous wealth. A commenter spelled this out, saying, “is there anything more worthless. the humiliation of even having this, not to mention wearing it.” Another person compared it to a child’s plaything, “It’s like getting a toy ring after you win the local putt putt champship. Definitely means something to someone, just not most.”
With the LIV Golf and PGA Tour merger taking time to iron out the arrangement, it remains to be seen whether some of the most talented players in the world will be able to count their victories as merits in the official standings in the future. But right now, their achievements are confined to LIV Golf events and don’t matter to the larger golfing world.
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