Jason Belmonte, Anthony Simonsen, Kris Prather Also Advance

Centreville, Va. – Francois Lavoie rolled a perfect 300 game in the PBA Playoffs Round of 16 to become the second player in PBA history to have bowled two career televised perfect games in title events. Lavoie joins Sean Rash, the man he eliminated, on the exclusive list.

Search the 300 Game Hall of Fame directory for bowlers who have bowled at least 10 Sanctioned perfect 300 games. If you bowled 10 or more 300 Games and would like to be listed on the 300 Game Hall of Fame directory, fill out the form below. All scores will be verified before processing your submission to the directory. The first televised 300 game was in 1953 I believe, and I'm pretty sure there were more in the 50's but I don't know who or where. Then of course you have the two games by Wes Malott in the King of Bowling series. Then there I believe 4 from the Weber Cup, but there may be more. There was also Belmonte's 300 in the World Tenpin masters.

“A lot of people asked me after the U.S. Open if I was nervous,” said Lavoie, referring to his first televised perfect game in the 2016 U.S. Open semifinal match. “I was definitely nervous. It was the same thing today. I was still very nervous and I’m glad I was able to come through again.”

Through his first two PBA Playoffs matches, Lavoie rolled 21 of a possible 24 strikes in defeating Norm Duke in the Round of 24 and Rash in the Round of 16.

“I bowl my best when I’m able to create some miss room in the middle part of the lane,” said Lavoie. “In the last two matches, I’ve been able to do that. I took a look at the bracket before we started and I knew it was going to be a tough road, and it has been so far. I’m sure it will be from the next match on, but I’m ready to keep going.”

Lavoie’s 300 was the 29th televised perfect game in PBA history and third of the 2020 PBA Tour season, joining Tommy Jones, who achieved perfection in the championship match of the Hall of Fame Classic in January, and Jakob Butturff, who bowled 300 during the qualifying round of the PBA Tour Finals in July.

Rash, who bowled 236 in a losing effort, has been involved in a PBA-record six televised perfect games, rolling two and opposing four.

“I like to set the lanes up so I can get off to a big start,” said Rash of his penchant for being involved on either side of perfection. “I try to find the most miss room and out-strike my competitors. (Lavoie) and I were going to play a similar part of the lane, so we knew the scores could get pretty high. I bowled a really good game and probably could have bowled a bigger score, but I still would have lost.

“I’ve bowled (Lavoie) twice now and he just strikes at me,” added Rash. “At the (2019) U.S. Open, he started with the front five when the pair was impossible and now this. He’s a great player, very accurate, and I guess he really likes to bowl against me.”

Lavoie advances to face top-ranked Jason Belmonte in the quarterfinals. Belmonte cited a turkey in the middle of the game which was crucial to take out the 17th-seeded Jakob Butturff, 205-195.

“Halfway through the game, Jakob’s ball motion through the pins was a lot more high flush than mine,” said Belmonte, a three-time winner in 2020. “I knew if he could work it out, he had a really good chance of striking a lot. When I got a light hit on the left lane in the sixth frame, it was imperative to me that I doubled. Then, if I could get one more, I knew Jakob had to find a triple or a four-bagger, so that triple for me was really critical.”

Butturff struck twice in the 10th frame to force Belmonte to mark, which he did, moving him into the PBA Playoffs quarterfinals for the second straight year.

Anthony Simonsen rolled the second-highest game on the telecast as he eliminated seven-time PBA Tour champion Dick Allen, 258-204.

“I decided pretty early urethane was going to be the play,” said fourth-seeded Simonsen of his bowling-ball strategy. “I threw a couple mediocre shots in the beginning and got away with one, but I bowled a pretty solid game. I just tried to make good shots and keep the pocket in play. I was fortunate enough to throw a few strikes together.”

Simonsen earns a rematch with Kris Prather, who eliminated Simonsen in last season’s Playoffs semifinals. Prather, the defending PBA Playoffs champion, moved into the quarterfinals with a win over four-time PBA Tour champion Marshall Kent.

“I was super nervous,” admitted Prather. “I haven’t had a whole lot of competition reps, so being on TV again is a little nerve-racking, but to be able to come away with the victory tonight is huge.”

A tight match early, Prather credits a ball change during the commercial break as the difference in the match.

“I switched to the original Hy-Road,” Prather said. “It stored a little more energy and was able to go through the pins a lot better. I think if I don’t make that ball change, I don’t win.”

The other half of the PBA Playoffs bracket gets underway with Round of 24 action Sunday, October 25 at 5 p.m. ET on FS1, followed by Round of 16 competition November 1 at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1. The PBA Playoffs concludes with the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship match on November 8 beginning at 2 p.m. ET on FS1.

The final event of the 2020 PBA Tour season, the winner of the PBA Playoffs will receive a PBA Tour title, $100,000 and an official WWE championship title.

Viewers can live stream the PBA on the FOX Sports and FOX NOW apps or at FOXSports.com. Select highlights will be available on @FOXSports social handles across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. International fans can watch live on FloBowling.com.

PBA Playoffs Round of 24 Results
Bowlero Centreville, Centreville, Va.
No. 18 Jakob Butturff def. No. 16 Tommy Jones, 215-214
No. 9 François Lavoie def. No. 24 Norm Duke, 256-193
No. 20 Dick Allen def. No. 13 Dom Barrett, 227-190
No. 12 Marshall Kent def. No. 21 Chris Via, 218-212

PBA Playoffs Round of 16 Results
No. 1 Jason Belmonte def. No. 17 Jakob Butturff, 205-195
No. 9 Francois Lavoie def. No. 8 Sean Rash, 300-236
No. 4 Anthony Simonsen def. No. 20 Dick Allen, 258-204
No. 5 Kris Prather def. No. 12 Marshall Kent, 237-214

PBA Playoffs Round of 24 (Sunday, October 25 at 5 p.m. ET on FS1)
No. 15 Kyle Sherman vs. No. 18 AJ Johnson
No. 10 Darren Tang vs. No. 23 Nick Pate
No. 14 Tom Smallwood vs. No. 19 Chris Barnes
No. 11 Brad Miller vs. No. 22 Tom Daugherty

Round of 16 (Sunday, November 1 at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1)
No. 2 Bill O’Neill vs. Sherman/Johnson
No. 7 Kyle Troup vs. Tang/Pate
No. 3 EJ Tackett vs. Smallwood/Barnes
No. 6 Jesper Svensson vs. Miller/Daugherty

Quarterfinals (Sunday, November 8 at 2 p.m. ET on FS1)
No. 1 Jason Belmonte vs. No. 9 Francois Lavoie
No. 4 Anthony Simonsen vs. No. 5 Kris Prather
Additional two matches to be determined following the completion of the Round of 16

Semifinals and Finals (Sunday, November 8 at 4 p.m. ET on FS1)
Matches to be determined following the quarterfinals

About the PBA
The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) is the world’s preeminent organization dedicated to the sport of bowling and its professional competition, with thousands of members and millions of fans throughout the world. The PBA plays host to bowling’s biggest tournaments from the Go Bowling! PBA Tour, PBA Regional Tour, and PBA50 Tour. In 2019, the PBA was acquired by Bowlero Corporation, the world’s largest owner and operator of bowling entertainment centers with more than 300 locations throughout North America. For more information, please visit PBA.com.

John Hinkle Jr., a former NCAA bowling champ at Western Illinois, has bowled a few perfect games in his life.

But the most recent 300 score he bowled is without a doubt the most meaningful.

The 39-year-old Peoria (Illinois) Public Schools counselor went viral this week after he posted on Facebook that his latest perfect bowling score came when using a bowling ball that contained the ashes of his late father.

'I can't express what tonight means to me,' Hinkle wrote in the April 12 Facebook post. 'He never had a perfect game until NOW.'

Hinkle told ESPN that after his father died in 2016, he was cremated and he wanted to honor in a way that reflected their relationship bowling together.

'I have talked about trying to put ashes in a bowling ball for a few years now,' Hinkle said. 'I asked around if people could do it and everyone said they don't think it would work. One of my childhood friends opened her own pro shop in a nearby bowling alley, and I brought the idea to her. It worked on the first try.'

Hinkle told CBS affiliate WMBD in Peoria, Illinois, that he filled the thumb hole on the bowling ball with the ashes and sealed the hole.

'Bowling was a big part of my whole family. Growing up my twin and I lived in the bowling alley waiting on mom and dad to finish their league nights. Every Saturday morning they would take us to bowl in our league, starting at the age of four,' he told ESPN. 'As we got older you would never see my brother and I bowl without our parents sitting right there supporting us.'

Who Has Bowled The Most 300 Games

After college, Hinkle and his brother and father were teammates in the same bowling league for more than 13 years.

Bowler With Most 300 Games

'That's what bowling was about to us ... being able to do it with my family,' he said. 'When I shoot a 300, the first person to hug me has always been my twin or my father. It's like we do this together.'

What Professional Bowler Has The Most 300 Games

Hinkle won't stop bowling after this momentous feat, but will retire the unique ball after he plays in the PBA Tour of Champions in May.

Bowler With The Most 300 Games

'I will no longer throw this bowling ball because I accomplished what I wanted to do for my father. His bowling ball and scores will be displayed at my house next to all my other accomplishments,' he said.