ONE OF A KIND: GOOCH RECEIVES LIV GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP RING
MIAMI – During Wednesday night’s Welcome Party as a prelude to the Team Championship, Talor Gooch walked onto the stage for team introductions with a new title associated with his name: LIV Golf 2023 Individual Champion.
Commissioner and CEO Greg Norman then followed bearing a unique gift: the LIV Golf championship ring created by famed jeweler Ben Baller.
“I had no idea about it until last night,” Gooch said Thursday morning, flashing the ring on his right hand. “So cool.”
The championship ring is new this season, LIV Golf collaborating with Baller and his company IF+CO. The design is 14 karat yellow gold with 10 carats of diamonds, with a mixture including gold, VS and VVS diamonds, DEF color diamonds and emerald cut diamonds.
Baller has worked with brands like the NFL and done multiple chain collaborations with high-profile athletes and celebrities. He was thrilled to have the opportunity to work on the project.
"Will Newell, LIV’s VP of Creative, reached out to my team last April," Baller said. "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!
"Once I built a solid friendship with RangeGoats Captain Bubba Watson, I knew I had to do it. Especially after the amazing time I had in [LIV Golf] Chicago, and playing in the LIV Pro-Am.”
Baller's reputation and credibility added another impressive layer to the ring’s debut, especially as Gooch showed it off to other players.
“Everyone was blown away,” Gooch said. “Like, Ben Baller just made that? That’s so cool.”
“A beautiful ring,” said Gooch’s RangeGoats GC captain Bubba Watson.
Golfers are used to raising trophies, not slipping on rings after their victories. Certainly, Gooch has become accustomed to celebrating wins as an original LIV Golf member.
The Individual Champion title is the 10th trophy he’s celebrated in the first two years – three individual tournament wins (all in 2023), five regular-season team wins (one with the RangeGoats this year; four with 4Aces GC last year), one Team Championship (with the 4Aces), and now the season-long Individual title.
Only his former captain, the 4Aces’ Dustin Johnson, can match that amount of trophy raising.
There was no ring for DJ last year, so Gooch has the only one in existence.
On Thursday, he wore the ring after his practice session as he headed toward the clubhouse. Asked how often he’ll wear it, Gooch replied with a smile: “I’ll wear it enough.”