Certification process Before a is recognized by the certifying body of the
league or tournament, a series of tests are conducted by the local or regional bowling association. First, the bowler and league (or tournament) must be in good standing with the organization. In earlier years, the
bowling ball(s) used in the scoring was taken for testing (hardness, weighting, and other aspects that would otherwise break the organization's regulations). Also, the lanes used in the scoring were shut down after the last game of the day was completed. The official then used a tape reader to test the oil condition, to make sure it met the organization's regulations. The data was then sent to the certifying body, and the score received a certification decision a few days to a few weeks later. There are cases where the tests do not meet regulation, and therefore the score is not recognized by the organization. However, the score still counts towards the league or tournament statistics. Modern recognition is much easier; lanes are no longer shut down, balls are no longer taken and inspected. The lanes are inspected once a year, and the ball's make and serial number (USBC only requires that the ball have an engraved serial number, they do not need the actual number) are taken by a league/tournament official and reported to the certifying organization.
Recognition In league or tournament play, a certified 300 game is usually commemorated with a ring. Subsequent league 300s are denoted by setting "chips" or precious stones into the ring, so that skilled bowlers do not have to wear several rings. The
United States Bowling Congress (USBC) offers a "multiple" 300 ring for an additional fee that features the number of approved 300 games for that bowler surrounded by stones. The ring can be returned to have the number changed as the bowler rolls additional perfect games. In casual or "open" play, a 300 game is not recognized officially by any certifying, professional, or other organization, but may be honored by other means within the bowling center, such as a plaque, trophy, "wall of fame" photo, or other prize.
Televised 300 games A handful of 300 games have been broadcast on
television broadcasts. Grazio Castellano of
Brooklyn,
New York, was the first to roll a on live television. This occurred on October 4, 1953, during an Eastern All-Star league session in
Newark, New Jersey. (Castellano is a member of the
United States Bowling Congress Hall of Fame.) A more recent example came in October 2006, when England's
Paul Moor became the first man to register a score of 300 in the
Weber Cup (the first 300 on live British television), the annual team challenge event between the United States and Europe. Australian
Jason Belmonte became the first bowler to ever roll a 300 game in the televised finals of the
World Tenpin Masters, defeating Moor in the 2007 event.
Tommy Jones had shot a perfect game in each Weber Cup from 2007 to 2009. Shota Kawazoe has rolled back-to-back 300 games on live Japanese television. A bowler that bowls a perfect game on a televised
PBA Tour event receives a $10,000 bonus, although the PBA and/or its sponsors have occasionally offered as much as a $1 million bonus for a player that bowls a 300 game in selected televised events. Through the 2026 season, there have been 36 televised 300 games in title events on the PBA Tour, and two more on the PBA50 Tour. The first 300 game in a televised PBA event was rolled by
Jack Biondolillo in the opening match of the 1967
Firestone Tournament of Champions finals (broadcast by
ABC). This was also the first
nationally televised broadcast of a perfect game. The most recent perfect game in a U.S. telecast of a
PBA Tour event happened in the PBA Players Championship on
The CW, held February 22, 2026.
Brandon Bonta defeated
E. J. Tackett in the final, 300-238.
Sean Rash rolled the PBA's 23rd and 25th 300 games to become the first player with multiple televised perfect games in PBA Tour stops. Canadian
François Lavoie, having previously bowled the PBA Tour's 26th televised 300 game, joined Rash when he bowled the Tour's 29th in 2020. Chris Via rolled two 300 games, making him the third member of this exclusive club. (Via is the only player of the three to roll both of his 300 games in the same season.)
Mika Koivuniemi narrowly missed (as well as becoming the first to do so) joining this exclusive club. Having rolled the PBA's 17th televised perfect game in 2003, Mika shot a 299 game in the semifinals of the 2011 PBA Tournament of Champions. Belmonte's 2022 PBA Tour Finals championship match 1 300 game made him the fourth (21st in 2012 and 34th in 2022). There have been five 300 games in PBA-sanctioned challenge events or team competitions that are not part of the PBA Tour. In 2009,
Wes Malott rolled two 300 games in the PBA-sanctioned King of Bowling series televised on ESPN.
Ryan Shafer, who earlier in his career rolled the PBA's 19th televised 300 in a PBA Tour event, threw his second televised 300 game in a singles match at the
Geico PBA Team Shootout, a made-for-TV event broadcast on ESPN, July 2, 2011. On May 21, 2023, E. J. Tackett rolled a 300 game in the PBA-sanctioned Super Slam Cup on Fox, which was restricted to the winners of the five major tournaments (and if necessary, runners-up if a bowler who had previously won a major won a second major in the season). In addition, PBA Hall of Famer
Chris Barnes, who rolled the PBA's 22nd televised 300 game, has also rolled live perfect games on European television (2014 QubicaAMF World Cup) and Japanese television (2015 PBA-DHC Japan Invitational). In addition, on April 3, 2016 (broadcast May 1, 2016), the PBA League featured a Baker format 300 game, rolled by Norm Duke, Shawn Maldonado, BJ Moore, Bill O'Neill and Tommy Jones. Female bowlers have also achieved perfection in front of a television audience.
Ritsuko Nakayama of the
Japan Professional Bowling Association became the first woman to score a perfect game in front of a national television audience, doing so in Japan on August 21, 1970.
Michelle Feldman of the
Professional Women's Bowling Association (PWBA) became the first woman to score a 300 on American national television, when she accomplished the feat in a 1997
Prime Sports broadcast.
Cara Honeychurch,
Liz Johnson and
Dasha Kovalova have also bowled 300 games in PWBA events on American TV. Urara Himeji,
Wendy Macpherson and Takiko Naganawa have rolled 300 games on Japanese national television, all during JPBA events. The following is a list of all perfect 300 games in nationally televised
PBA Tour title events (PBA Hall of Famers marked with an asterisk; major tournaments in
bold text):
Andy Varipapa 300 Andy Varipapa, a standout bowler from the 1930s and 1940s, joked about a being twelve strikes in a row spanning two games. Hence, such a result is named after the veteran bowler.
Back-to-back On August 31, 2010, 75-year-old
Will June, grandfather of
Cato June, became the oldest player to bowl consecutive perfect games.
Perfect series A
900 series, a three-game set with scores adding up to 900, is a more difficult feat to achieve than bowling a single perfect game because it requires more consistency and careful attention to the subtle changes in the lane conditions from game to game. The first six 900 series reported, starting with PBA Hall of Famer
Glenn Allison's in 1982, were all rejected by the USBC for various reasons – mostly due to nonconforming lane conditions. Finally, in 1997, an officially certified 900 series was bowled by collegiate bowler
Jeremy Sonnenfeld, rolled at Sun Valley Lanes in
Lincoln, Nebraska. It was the first 900 series approved by the USBC. Twelve perfect series were bowled in the ten-year period 1997–2008, and six were bowled in the two years 2009–2010. As of February 27, 2026, the USBC lists a total of 43 officially certified 900 series by 42 different bowlers, with
Robert Mushtare the only person to roll more than one. ==In fiction==