Kribel making his way back

Ex-Stanford star in lead at Del Rio, seeks bright future

By RON AGOSTINI
ragostini@modbee.com

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Joel Kribel knows firsthand how fast people honor you and how much faster they forget you.

His Spring International kicked off this week when the starter on the 10th tee announced, "Now on the tee, Joel Kribble."

If Kribel winced, he kept it to himself. As fast as you fall off golf's cheese wheel of fame and fortune, you can climb aboard again.

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"The good thing is, you can play for a long time," he said. "Hopefully, I still have my best golf in front of me."

Kribel has done some special things in this game. Problem is, few of them have happened lately. He's lost full-time status on the PGA Tour, then the Nationwide Tour and, today, he's separated from golf's nowhere-land by an occasional sponsor's exemption.

It's tough medicine for a man who's stared down former Stanford teammate Tiger Woods at the U.S. Amateur and negotiated his way around Augusta National for 72 holes at the Masters. But at this Canadian Tour stop, Kribel is regaining career traction.

His 7-under-par 65 Friday, coupled with his first-round 67, has launched him into the 36-hole lead at the National. He closed his second round at Del Rio Country Club with a rush -- birdies on the final four holes -- worthy of any pro from here to that other place, somewhere in Georgia, where serious golf is taking place.

"I don't have much status anywhere," he admitted. "I'm going from week to week."

Kribel, raised in Pleasanton, has waved the Northern California flag with pride. We remember him as a three-time All-American at Stanford (1997-98-99) and an amateur of the first rank. He lost to Woods in the 1996 U.S. Amateur semifinals, then lost to Matt Kuchar a year later in the Amateur finals.

His professional career has stalled, however, due to a chronic back injury. A year ago at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (he won the pro-am in 2005), he felt that painful twinge yet somehow completed the tournament. Finishing may have made him some admirers but it didn't help his career. He couldn't walk for five days and was unable to play the next five weeks.

"If I didn't have a partner, I wouldn't have finished," he said. "Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do."

Kribel is not one of those me-first Tour guys. He and wife Bre (his caddie) live in Phoenix but hope to move back to the East Bay, perhaps Brentwood.

One problem: Coming home requires some fancy paychecks, and there have been few in recent years. It all depends on how his back feels and, thankfully for him, the pain has subsided.

"I've spent a lot of time stretching and doing a lot of core work the last six months," he said. "I've put in the work and it's starting to pay off. This is the best I've felt in a long time. Now I feel good enough to practice hard. Knock on wood, I hope it stays that way."

He said he "was just going along" Friday until his white-hot rally at the end: up and down for birdie at the par-5 15th, a 9-iron to eight feet at the uphill 16th, a 6-iron to 12 feet at the 17th and a lob wedge to three feet at 18.

"I'm hitting a lot of greens and not leaving myself a lot of downhill putts. That's a big deal out here," Kribel said. "I've put myself in position not to make anything higher than par, so I've been comfortable."

Kribel is here only via a sponsor's exemption, thanks in part to a good word from friend Matt Bettencourt of Modesto. Chalk one up for good karma. Bettencourt jumped into the fight with his own 65.

What's best about Kribel, of course, is the lack of back pain, which nearly forced him to quit more than once. Golfers cope with many issues -- nerves, confidence, equipment changes -- but they can't ply their trade if their back hurts.

His best ally is time. He's 31, prime time for a pro, and he can still reach the levels many expected for him. As recently as 2006, he tied for fourth at the John Deere Classic on the PGA Tour.

This year, he's missed the cut at both the AT&T and last week by one stroke at the Nationwide Livermore Valley Wine Country Championship. Truth be told, he was pleased to be back after virtually a year on the sideline. This weekend, he'll feel the leaderboard heat, a good thing for anyone who's set serious goals in this game.

"I would have been over the hill in other sports," he said. "Guys like Vijay Singh prove you can play great well into your 40s. It's amazing to see how they sustain it for so long. I still feel I have my best years in front of me."

And more time for people to pronounce his name right.

Bee sports columnist Ron Agostini can be reached at ragostini@modbee.com or 578-2302.