An unexpected match for Matt Atkins

She was expecting Matt Atkins to be an 11-year-old boy. After all, that’s how old Macey Brown was, and the sixth grader kept telling her dance coach that she wanted to introduce Matt to her. “So in my mind, I’m thinking … how cute, you have a little friend who’s out there,â€� Jill Erwin recalls. “That’s awesome. She kept saying Matt, Matt.â€�  The Friday before the Christmas break, Macey brought in a picture of Matt to show to her teacher.  Only, the person Jill expected to be a little boy turned out to be a handsome 25-year-old about to embark on his rookie season on the Web.com Tour. “I want you to date him,â€� Macey told her teacher. And she was telling Matt, a family friend who was helping her with her golf game, the same thing. “I’m like, well, wow, he’s cute,â€� Jill recalls. “So that’s your friend Matt.  And I thought he was 11. Basically, that’s how it started.â€� Macey, her younger sister Adi and her mom Cheryle still had a little more match-making to do, though. So, they sent Jill a video invitation to their New Year’s Eve party. “I thought, oh, that’s sweet, but I kind of blew it off,â€� Jill says. Luckily, the night before the party Cheryle followed up, texting Jill to see if she was coming. When Jill didn’t immediately answer, she sent another message. “I have a date for you,â€� Cheryle texted. Jill was intrigued, even though a month earlier she had vowed she never wanted to be set up again. “I wonder if it’s that Matt guy,â€� she thought. It was, and she went, and both of their lives changed forever.  “There were 32 kids there that I had coached, mentored, that were in my class at some point,â€� Jill recalls. “So all of them were just, like, they were dying. They loved it.  “And he was like, this is so awkward.â€� The two talked that night but between the scavenger hunt and all the other games, meaningful conversation was minimal. But Macey’s grandmother insisted Jill leave her phone number – “I ended up writing it down on a paper plate,â€� she says – and later that night she received a text from Matt. The electronic conversation continued the following day. Jill decided to ask him to join her when she met some friends at a pizza parlor that night. The friends left around 11 p.m. and Matt walked Jill to her car. They ended up talking into the wee hours. “I knew he was different when I first met him,â€� Jill says. “I had a feeling. Like I said, I’ve had some terrible dating experiences.  I was kind of like, okay, whatever. I kind of left it up to God.  I said, just put the person in my life that you want to be there. “So, when I met him, I’m like, please, Lord, let this be the one.  I really like him. He’s so nice. It was that first night we were talking, he was talking about how he found Christ. He was talking about his college experience. It really got to my heart. I’m like, okay, he’s different than the other guys.  So, I kept with it.â€� The dates – and more importantly, the conversations — continued for the next 10 days or so until Matt left Kentucky to head to Florida to prepare for the upcoming Web.com Tour season. “Then we FaceTimed every day,â€� Jill says. “We talked for hours and hours. … And I guess the rest is history.â€� Jill will be the first to tell you that she knew nothing about golf when she met Matt. Her father taught her the basics and the Golf Channel expanded her horizons. “(Matt) FaceTimed me,â€� Jill remembers. “I’m like, I’m watching the Golf Channel, I know who Jordan Spieth is. He’s like, great, he’s been golfing for a little bit. I’m like, I didn’t know that.â€�  Matt tied for 35th the first time she saw him play in person at the 2015 United Leasing Championship. Her education continued that summer when she was able to travel with him to several other events. Eventually Jill resigned her teaching position to be with Matt full-time – “so my new job is paying the bills, taking care of the business,â€� she says. The couple married on July 1, two months after Matt won the El Bosque Mexico Championship by Innova on his way to earning his PGA TOUR card for this year. Macey, the matchmaker extraordinaire, was a junior bridesmaid.    “It was like the best day of her life,’â€� Jill said with a smile.  Of course, no one knows a TOUR player better than his wife. So, now that you know a little more about the couple, Jill gives us 18 things you might not know about her husband below. 1. Matt’s identity is in Jesus Christ. Above all else, he is a Godly man and great leader.  2. Matt does not eat fruits or vegetables…at all. Ever. In fact, when Matt was a baby he would not open his mouth when his mom tried to feed him fruits. To this day, he’s never had an actual fruit or vegetable.  3. Matt knows what he wants. When he makes up his mind, he goes for it without question. He’s incredibly brilliant and that helps him on the course — and me off the course.  4. He has a catch phrase, “My thing is …” And he says it constantly.  5. Matt can eat anything with mint and peanut butter.  6. His heart is the most genuine I’ve ever known. It’s my favorite thing about him.  7. He has a distinctive walk. I can always pick him out in a crowd by how he holds his arms when he’s walking. When he’s frustrated, he walks EVEN faster than usual.  8. His opinions are hilarious. I plan on writing a book titled, “The World According to Matt.” The first line will be: “My thing is…” 9. He is thoughtful. There have been many days when a surprise Starbucks latte or Cherry Coke Zero show up as a little treat just for me. 10. Matt hasn’t even spent a month in our home since we’ve owned it. He travels too much (but that’s a nice blessing)! 11. Matt will tell you his father, Frank was the most responsible for starting him playing golf. Frank took Matt out to the course and encouraged his talent. Frank also was Matt’s best man in the wedding. 12. Matt’s two favorite kiddos are his nephews, Riley and Liam. He eats up any FaceTime we get with them while on the road. He enjoys seeing them grow up and become little men.  13. He’s extremely competitive! Matt is an athlete through and through. He’s played every sport, except hockey growing up. I mean, it’s even hard for him to let his nephews win at Candy Land or Memory.  14. Matt picked up a golf club at five but did not take it seriously until eighth grade.  15. He’s a YouTube-aholic. Being on the road constantly, he has had to find things to do for entertainment. I think he’s seen every singing competition video!  16. He’s a convenience store junkie. His top favorites: Wawa and QT.  17. He loves the challenge of golf which led him to pursue it professionally.  18. Our first date was at a wasabi restaurant. I can get him to eat that any time, but Mexican … that’s usually a no! 

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