GALLATIN, Tenn. — When Spencer Provow beat Tennessee Golf Hall of Famer Tim Jackson in the 2007 Tennessee Match Play Championship, his future in amateur golf looked to be a hot start. He had just beat one of the most influential names in Tennessee Golf and perhaps one of the best amateurs in the country at just 23-years-old. But as many competitive golfers and non-golfers alike will tell you, sometimes life has other plans for you.
After marrying his wife, Rebecca, and the birth of their three children, Provow essentially laid his competitive golf plans to the wayside, opting to focus on the homefront. But when his third child, Charlie, became fascinated with golf last winter, Provow found his desire to compete burning anew.
So he entered the field of the 2024 Tennessee Match Play Championship at Tennessee Grasslands Golf & Country Club. At the end of a grueling week of golf, Provow earned his third TGA title, his first since the 2011 Tennessee Four-Ball Championship with his partner Craig Smith.
A 2 & 1 victory over Arrington’s Jake Eickhoff in the final match returned Murfreesboro’s Provow to the top once more, but his path to the championship was filled with plenty of challenges along the way.
Provow’s first trial came in pool play where a tie in points required a playoff. After two holes, Provow emerged victorious in the playoff over Union University’s Trace Robinson. That lined up a meeting with three-time TGA champion Jack Smith in the round of 16. After Provow won the first hole, Smith came marching back and had taken command of the match with a three hole lead through 10 holes. Provow began mounting a comeback, and the match was square through 16 holes.
Smith won the 17th hole of the match to retake the lead by one with one to play, and the match looked to be over on the 18th green. Smith had a five-foot putt for birdie to tie Provow on the final hole and end the match, but lipped out, sending the match to extra holes.
Provow took advantage of the opportunity presented to him, and ended the match by recording a par on the first playoff hole. Later that afternoon, Provow would face Caleb Tipton in the quarterfinals match.
After losing the first hole, Provow found the momentum he had gained from his match earlier in the day against Smith. After a push on the second hole, Provow won the next three holes to go 2 up through five. Provow continued to press on, winning two more holes to extend his lead to four holes at the turn. After steady play on the back, Provow advanced to the final day of the tournament, winning his match against Tipton 5 & 4.
Provow’s semifinals opponent was Ootlewah’s Keoni Vidrine, who has been playing great golf as of late. After Provow won the first hole of the match, he never trailed after. The match remained close however, with Provow retaining his one hole lead at the match’s halfway point. After a few pushed holes began the back nine, Provow won the 13th and 14th hole to extend his lead to three holes with four to play. Despite Vidrine winning the 16th hole to cut Provow’s lead to two holes, a push on the 17th hole saw Provow advance to the final match 2 & 1.
Provow would face off against 16-year-old Jake Eickhoff for the Tim Jackson Cup, awarded to the winner of the Tennessee Match Play Championship each year. The trophy name was fitting, considering Provow’s opponent back in the 2007 championship match was the trophy’s namesake, Tim Jackson himself. And when Provow defeated the Tennessee Golf Hall of Famer, he did so before Eickhoff had been born.
“It's truly unique to golf in that you can, you know, play really solid golf as a teenager into your forties. I mean, Tim Jackson's the best example of that. I mean, that guy was, you know, pro,” Provow said.
Provow’s match against Eickhoff saw a back-and-forth battle on the first nine holes after starting their match on hole 10, with only one hole ending as a push. After the pair were tied through four holes, Provow won the next two holes to take a two hole lead through six. Eickhoff bounced right back, winning the par 3 hole 16. Provow won the ninth hole of the match, extending his lead back to 2 up heading to the final nine holes of the championship.
Eickhoff began to work on Provow’s lead, making a birdie on the 12th hole of the match to cut the lead to one hole. However, the 40-year-old father of three bounced right back, winning the next hole to extend his lead back to two holes. Eickhoff again halved Provow’s lead, winning the 16th hole of the match, and now trailing by one hole with two to play. On the 17th hole of the match, Provow’s drive ended up in a greenside bunker, setting up a difficult up-and-down to a shortsided pin. A beautiful shot from the sand left Provow with a 10-footer for birdie, and the championship. Provow drained the putt in the center of the cup, and after nearly two decades, Provow had returned to the top spot on the podium.
Provow’s victory felt much different than the one he had captured 17 years ago.
“This one's a lot different because at the time when I won the last one, golf was my everything, right,” Provow said. “Now it's kind of a down the list thing for me. And maybe that's what makes it a little bit easier today, is that, you know, whether I was playing great today or played poorly, at the end of the day, nothing changes in my life. I'm incredibly blessed and honored. This is special for me.”
