LIV champion to receive gaudy diamond-filled QR code ring in addition to £10.7m bonus

LIV Golf’s new individual champion will not only walk away with a huge cheque but they will also be gifted a gaudy championship ring filled with gems and a QR code.

Starting today, Joaquin Niemann and Jon Rahm will go head-to-head for the Saudi-funded circuit’s individual title at Bolingbrook Golf Club near Chicago as the only two in the field who can clinch victory.

In addition to the $14 million (£10.7 million) bonus the winner will bag, a diamond ring with a QR code will also be up for grabs.

As well as 5.78 carats of white diamonds and 1.2 carats of natural green emeralds the ring also includes a concealed ball marker with a QR code on the back which will allow the winner to watch back their winning moment. The ring also has glow-in-the-dark UV enamel detailing, weighs 84.8 grams and is 14-carat gold.

LIV Golf adopted the “championship ring” concept used by the National Basketball Association (NBA), National Football League (NFL) and Major League Baseball (MLB) in America last year, when Talor Gooch won a traditional gold championship ring also filled with diamonds.

“Probably my wife won’t be happy knowing that my ring would have more [diamonds],” Niemann said when asked about the ring.

“No, I feel it’s pretty special. It’s a little different than other trophies, so it would be pretty cool to have an extra ring.”

While Rahm, who received a reported £400 million fee to join LIV last year, added: “I’m trying to picture what it looks like right now, and I can’t get that in my mind.

“It’s a lot. It’s definitely a lot. But honestly, who cares what it is as long as you’re the one that has it. That’s, I think, what most of us will be thinking.

“I think you would be lying to yourself if you said there’s nothing extra. We’re all aware it’s the last event, and for the two of us, obviously we both want to win.

“I also believe that being able to be in this position and having those extra nerves is a privilege.

“We’re the only two in the entire league that are going to be feeling like that this week, so yeah, you have to embrace it and compete and still try to win but knowing there’s a lot more at stake if that doesn’t happen.”

The pair will tee off together in Chicago with Rahm leading by just under three points after finishing in the top 10 in every event this season with one win.