Who is the BEST left handed bowler of all time? Top 5 PBA Left Handers | PBA Bowling 2023 

Earl Anthony will always be the G.O.A T.

Agree with this list. Earl was unmatched in his talent and consistency

Thank you so much for showing Billy O some love. He may never be a household PBA name like many, but he was the first pro I ever got to know, and got me seats in the "assigned area" of a PBA televised event because of the moment we shared. He was a class act. He wasn't a "bowler," he was a normal guy who happened to have a skill that I will never forget the day he achieved when he was staffed. It was the same day as the event he helped me and a friend get better seats. Billy O deserves a lot for what he brought to the fans outside of the tournaments he bowled. He was a normal guy. He did a lot of things similar to Uber, DoorDash, etc, those kinds of things for a paycheck outside of bowling. But what he brought to fans was a loving spirit. And the fact you showed him that love brought me to tears again because I remember the day i found our he passed and messaged one of his close friends, and just was devastated. He may have not been a nameskae like some of these other left-handers, but he was as special as them all. RIP Billy O. You touched this life like no other. I will forever remember you NUMBER ONE for how you treated me at that dinner in Reno! Thank you The Right Lane for showing him the love he deserves! It brought me to tears.

Earl the pearl by far.

As a lifetime PBA fan i have definitely heard of Billy Oatman. He sounded like a true gentleman and all around great human being! 57 is way too young. RIP Billy O! I definitely agree with this list. Not only were these 5 the best of the best, but they all are great people as well.

I have to admit that I've been a fan of the PBA since early 70's. Sat. afternoon was in front of the TV with Chris Schenkle(?) and Bo Burton. I agree with your top 5 except for Couch. How could you not include Dave Davis instead?? Include Davis and the entire group were just smooooth to watch. Petraglia was an absolute beast in the 70's along with Earl. Earl was a freakin machine on the lanes. Like an "Iron Byron" for bowling. Shot after shot always the same. A pure joy to root for. Aulby and Parker were just classic games. I loved watching both and would always hope to see any 2 of those 5 guys in the finals against one another. They just didn't disappoint. Don't remember seeing 20 balls and changing every 5 or 6 frames like today. They say the game gas changed that much. Put any of those 5 in their time on the lanes with a couple of their choice of balls and they would MORE than compete today!!!! This was some of the best time for bowling ever in history--in my opinion😊😊

I'm 59 and have loved bowling since I'm 7, but the only time I absolutely positively had to be in front of the TV at 3:30 on Saturday afternoon was if Earl made the telecast, and for a solid decade it seemed he was on just about every week. I was crestfallen when I didn't see his name in the top 5 in the paper. His consistency was remarkable. R I P Earl

In my humble opinion, while Earl is easily the best southpaw, Mark Roth is for my money the greatest bowler that ever rolled a ball. His spare %, consistency and peak years are just ridiculous. A true all timer. Nice video

I totally agree with you that Anthony is the greatest left hander, and greatest overall bowler of all time. I was also pleased that you had Johnny Petraglia on your list. I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Petraglia back in the 70's, while I was in a junior league in the Bronx, NY. he gave instruction to many of us in that league during our annual "Beat-a-Pro" tournament. A very nice, and kind gentleman.

Earl Anthony was too smooth

Earl Anthony is reason for me to start bowling back in the 70s when I was a teenager I had to quit bowling because of my knees but I did do it for 35 years. I miss bowling on the Monday night men’s league great memories.

Glad you had Aulby 2nd... Seemed like everytime I turned on the TV as a kid Aulby was always on the TV broadcast

I agree with your list but instead of Jason Couch you should have went with Dave Davis he was around when the PBA started and was pretty competitive. Maybe if you decide to feature another list of lefties take a closer look at his career.

There is ONLY ONE...................Earl Anthony Being a lefty myself I've seen all these bowlers and I can not argue with your choices and the orders. Well done sir

I was a big fan of any lefty that got a check every week. I remember back then Earl was called La Machine by a lot of the guys.

Earl Anthony....without question. R.I.P Billy "O"atman.

Aulby was a beast and he did it during an era that was really deep in talent. You had Holman, Weber, Webb, Cook, Voss, Monacelli all at or near the peak of their powers and a really strong second tier of players such as Ballard, Ferraro, Westlake, Husted etc. Hell he wasn't even player of the year in 1989 and he won nearly 300k that year (which inflation adjusted probably is worth nearly 3/4 of a million today and could be argued as being one of the greatest single seasons by a PBA player ever). You could make the argument that he kinda got robbed that year when they gave POY to Amleto. Aulby should also get credit for being able to transition well from urethane to the resin era. I get the arguments for Bohn being #2 especially with title count and earnings. But for me Bohn is a bit of a lefty version of Roth; massive cash machine but just came up a bit short in the majors relative to some of his peers who are on the all time great list.

Johnny Petraglia is my favorite lefty bowler. I watched him for many years when I was young.

Don’t forget he had 42 second place finishes he is the GOAT

I was very lucky to have seen all these bowlers bowl in their prime, and I believe you’ve got it about right. Great Job !!

I knew mike aulby and earl anthony were going to be in the there, those guys were so classic

Having bowled tournaments and league with Billy “O” I can confirm he was one of the nicest and friendliest bowlers. However he was a fierce competitor and you needed to bring it if there was money on the line. He could strike all day and no matter how good you were throwing it that day he would throw a ten bagger seemingly at will.

Earl Anthony! I also bowl at his bowling center in Dublin California!! ❤Thank you!

a point worth noting: because anthony was contractually obligated to ebonite, he often bowled with inferior equipment. without this handicap, he would have been even more dominant.

Earl - the GOAT - had the pleasure of watching him practice a few times up in Tacoma Wa - it was literally like watching a machine - with that smooth repeatable motion. Love that long last stride of Parker’s too!

My brother was a lefty, Earl was his idol, and mine too.

Earl Anthony is the "Natural" of bowling! Best bowler of all time.

Awesome video and props for paying respect to Oatman. ❤

I can't remember what year it was, but it must have been around 1990 when Bo Burton at the start of the telecast said to Chris, "one thing's for sure today, a lefty is going to win the tournament". The top 5 were all left-handers for the first time ever on a Saturday. Being a southpaw myself, I was giddy beyond belief after getting home from Saturday morning youth bowling. Anyone remember which tournament that was? I think Aulby and Mazza were two of the top 5 that day.

First I must say, I love your enthusiasm for the sport of bowling and the effort you have taken to produce the clips. With that said, I must argue your top 5. Earl definitely deserves the top spot and deserves the top spot of all time. What he accomplished is breath taking, specifically in the number of years. I believe the winning span was only 13 years on the PBA Tour. Earl won over 40 titles, $1M in earnings, and the Player of the Year honors in less than 15 years. Let's not forget the 40+ second place finishes. He bowled for the title over 80 times in a 15 year career. He earned $1M+ when first place was often less than $10k, and I'd love to see how many times he led an event by more than 500 pins. Statistically, PBA Hall of Famer Dave Davis' record easily outshines Jason Couch's career and he was looked over. One more looked over fact: Johnny Petraglia has won a PBA event in 6 different decades. The record was previously held by Dick Weber. When Johnny won in the sixth decade, he made it clear that although it was a mile stone, he was emotional about taking the claim away from the great Dick Weber. Johnny idolized Dick Weber, much like every other pro bowler who made a living on the tour from the late 50s thru the early 90s. Dick Weber wrote the book on professionalism, sportsmanship, and integrity. He was the PBA's first star and a major reason the tour became such a television gold mine.

Earl was the man I watched him live in the Pro_Ams bowl with a young lady we knew well which she was a left hander Also, they did well together

When the left side was shut down Earl found a way to cash. If I recall, he would stay in one spot and just adjust his ball speed? He won a Sr Tournament, and during the awards he mentioned "I could have bowled better, but I had a bit of a cold" Istill enjoy watching his tape "Going for 300"

Nice video! As a 50-something lefty myself, Earl was my idol while I was in Jr. leagues. I agree with the 5 on your list, I may have swapped PB III for MA in the #2 slot, based on his longevity. But as you note, it's close either way. Thanks!

Being born in the late 70s, I only caught the end of Anthony's incredible career and he was and still is the greatest of all-time. He ruled the lanes during the absolute peak of bowling's popularity. But as a kid of the 80s and 90s, being a fellow left-hander, Aulby was my idol.

Always was a big Parker fan, as I am also a left handed bowler. I get to bowl with Walter Ray in a couple of hours, maybe I can do what Aulby did against him and bowl a 300! Thus was a great video, I get heckled all the time for being left handed.

I want to see Earl’s TV 299. I’ve seen videos of his final shot (stone 9) but I’d like to see the whole telecast. Happened in the 70’s.

I'm the best lefty.... though I'm the only one who thinks that! 😂😅 Great video and a well thought out list!

The best bowler of all time is left handed. No conversation needed. Earl Anthony hands down, all time.

Great Vid. Earl. The Greatest Ever 😊

Thanks for mentioning Billy O. List is spot on, but you know that.

Earl Anthony followed by Mike Aulby followed by Parker Bohn. I picked the same top 3 in order before even watching the video with my comment. Dave Davis has to be close to making the top 5.

Ciminelli was my favorite bowler growing up. I’m also a lefty

Thanks for the memories of the best of times❤ revisited May 10 2024 Dobie Wan ❤❤❤❤

Hello I happened to stumble across this video and I have to say I agree with your choices. I was actually at northrock Lanes in 1993 when Mike Alby rolled that 300 I've been watching the PBA tour ever since I was just a young little guy because I was so interested in bowling. Now later on as I got older I was 26 years old when I bowled in my first PBA tournament I didn't do very well but it was an experience and I bowled in several tournaments since then but never on the national tour. I bowled in a few of the opens like the Wichita open but I just really enjoyed bowling then when I got over 55 years old my body just couldn't take it anymore so the style that I bowled I will give you a hint my idol was Mark Ro th

I Completely Agree with the Order of your Top 5!!

earl anthony coached youth bowlers in 1971 i was one of them

Your top 3 are spot on imo..

Ironically I tried to model my form to Parker as a right hander. I do it now as I had to switch to left handed.

I saw Parker bohn III in 2014 in New Jersey when I was picked for bowling in nationals

I always liked Steve Cook. So many great leftys..John Mazza, Eric Forkel etc.. guess I'm dating myself lol

Dave Davis lead a couple tournaments by like 700 pins and lost. I think thats an incredible feat, but Earl would sometimes be the only lefty in the top 24 and win.

Nice little tribute to Billy Oatman. Met him once and that man was so nice. As a left-handed bowler myself, this list is near and dear to me as I watched and learned a lot from them. My top five is this... 1. Earl Anthony 2. Parker Bohn III 3. Jason Couch 4. Mike Aulby 5. Johnny Petraglia

Agree this lefty list for the most part. Honestly you could throw Patrick Allen or Steve Cook in there also but we can have them as honorable mentions for now

Just went bowling after a year and almost hit a perfect game first game lol. Maybe I should play more, as a lefty.

I think my top 5 list matches up with yours. And yes, I still have Anthony as #1 overall, though I don't hold any ill will to those who say WRW or Belmo; it's different eras and circumstances. John Gant was probably my fave lefty to watch; guy could really rev it up. Also not to be forgotten is Ross Packard. He didn't bowl much on the national tour, but has a gazillion PBA regional titles. I think he had a decent day job and chose to keep at that and just do the weekend warrior thing. His ball roll didn't look like much, but it gets results. I think he would have been up there with Anthony had he gone that route.

The best left hander is also the greatest of all time, Early Anthony!

My favourite lefty? John Gant aka Buzzsaw

Earl was the most consistant and a legend. Over the years I also have to rank Parker up there as well. I met Parker in person a few times. Nice guy..

Ricky Ward had some special talent and some amazing wins. Im not sure how he exited the tour, maybe conditioning?

I might've ranked Petraglia ahead of Bohn, but both were outstanding. Earl and Aulby #1 and #2 is a no-brainer. A good list.

Hard to argue with your list though I haven't watched to many Johnny Petraglia games.

Was that the only year Billy Oatman was full time on the PBA tour? And good list; can't argue with 1 and 2.

you got it right :)

I agree fully with your top 4 picks but I think an argument could be made that Steve Cook could maybe be in the 5th spot instead of Jason...if for no other reason than Steve went 4-0 against Earl Anthony on TV!

Hi thankyou once again for this video about the great pba lefties.Having been involved in bowling since I was 8years old and I am now nearly 60 I wander if many people saw Earl Anthoney when he came to England uk and bowled in the skins tournament at the airport bowl Heathrow .He was a real gentleman and a great ambassador for Ebonites balls .I remember a great english left hander Roger Creamer from Portsmouth and Southampton .Also can you do a video about bowlings attempts and future in the Olympics especially as the Olympics is in USA after France .I wander why people from the Olympic commitee were not invited to see the world series of bowling or last year's world championships in Dubai .Surely this would help them see biwling is a world inclusive sport that belongs in the Olympics .

All so close.Earl will always be best, followed by Bohn,Petraglia,Aulby and Couch....all from the best era of bowling...but those days are now gone. Two handers rule the game now.

Pre-Video: 1. Earl 4. Aulby 3. PBIII 4. Petraglia 5. Dave Davis Gotta give Steve Cook and Jason Couch honorable mention. I would probably put Paeng Nepomuceno, the fabulous Filipino left-hander in the top 5 but it's hard to judge him against PBA bowlers. He is certainly one of the ball all-time great bowlers, lefty or righty. My favorite lefty: Earl

Before Earl Anthony and Johnny Petraglia, there was Dave Davis. Dave was the first real superstar left hander. That said, I cannot argue with your list.

Earl Anthony. I read his book winning Bowling

I think Aulby at #2 is solid. Sure earl and parker had more titles, but i really think aulby has the most COMPLETE career. Many firsts and some long standing records. And if I'm not mistaken he also holds the record (or held it) for highest long format (56 game) average over a tournament

Can't disagree with your picks. But my favorite to watch is always Parker Bohn.

Ryan Ciminelli is a beast to watch, but i mimicked my game after parker Bohn Growing up

I'm not trying to make you look bad, but Johnny P. bowled a 300 in the second match before the semi final🙂

Earl Anthony, period

My all time favorite was Dave Davis.

Earl Anthony is the, IMHO, the G.O.A.T.! W.R.W. Jr. agrees & that just puts the feather in the cap. Earl said himself that he does not want to be remembered as a great left handed bowler, he wants to be remembered as a great bowler. His technique was one smooth motion, repetitious, methodical, rhythm & tempo, & virtually effortless! No one did it better as far as precision was concerned. 6 National Championships says it all!

Earl Anthony, period.

Of those bowler Jason Couch has best power. But I think the most powerful lefties in RPM are Jesper Svensson. But this video is about the best lefties of all time, I actually don't know so I can only agree. 😅

Earl Anthony .. enough said !

In the 80s , my buddy John Gant aka BUZZSAW!

Regular watcher of the PBA during the period covered by Earl Anthony's career. If he didn't make the telecast it was almost a surprise. An absolute machine. Consistent. Dominant. And classy. None of the stomping around, showing people up. Not like the clowns you have today.

R.I.P. Mark Roth ☦️☦️☦️ I would have to say 1. Earl Anthony 2. parker Bohn 3. Mike Aulby My all around greatest Bowler is Mark Roth because of his competitive style and the way he bowled,He threw a great Ball the Best ...☦️☦️☦️

Earl Anthony. WRW even said that he bowled about twice as many tournaments as Anthony.

I’m a righty, but Earl inspired me. He was so smooth, but what I really liked about him he was not flashy or flamboyant. He was the reason I began bowling.

Earl Anthony the best ever

I'll be the next one day 💯💯💯💯💯 r.i.p Billy

Earl Anthony. All day. Every day.

Jason couch and Chris Barnes……..2 of the best talents the game ever saw that just honestly never hit their full potential success wise. Couch and Barnes should have 65 titles combined

i really like left handed bowlers like myself.

Earl the pearl

Earl Anthony 6x National Champion. Let that sink in He won the PBAA National Championship 3 consecutive times twice in his storied career. 2x winner of the Tournament of Champions and 2x winner of the Masters! 43 career PBA titles in the span of 14 years. First player to win a million in earnings at a time when they didn't pay very well in prize money. He is absolutely the all time Greatest bowler in any generation.

Like Chris Shenkel would say " The Jack Nicholas of Bowling!" The greatest player of all time!

I believe Earl Anthony was the first bowler to earn a million

My opinion the two best left handed bowlers are Earl Anthony & Mike Aulby.

If you had to pick a #6, who would you choose? I'd pick John Mazza. I remember that 7-10 conversion. Fun fact: 3 of 4 PBA telecast 7-10 conversions have been by lefties...and amazingly 2 of those 3 were in 1991. Roth's original conversion from 1980 is still the only right-hander.

I'd put Parker ahead of Aulby, but not by much. Great list, though.

Earl, PB3, Mike Aulby

Earl. Parker 2nd. Johnny 3rd. But Richie Wolfe is how any bowler wants to throw a bowling ball. The respect he received in the US Open a few years ago was great to see and well earned. Has to be hands down the best physical game to never win a title.

1. Anthony 2. Johnny P 3. PB3 4. Aulby 5. Couch

HIS is the sole reason Earl Anthony is the greatest to ever lace them up on the tour. For anyone who knows the history of the tour, there was a long period that left-handers were winning a large amount of the prize money. In the early 70's approximately 30% of the tour was comprised of lefties, yet they were winning over 50% of the money. The PBA was under a lot of pressure to bring balance into the game. That was when they decided to change the oil patterns on the tour and it became so difficult for the lefties that about half of them dropped off the tour. Are you with me so far? Starting to see where I'm going with this? Over the next decade the one man who simply was the best out there was Earl....on lane conditions that just didn't favor lefties. Yes, he not only won consistently, but was dominating. How do you explain this? Most other left handers were being shut out, but not THE MAN. If you ever speak to any left handers who bowled on tour during this time period can vouch for the authenticity of these statements. I had two close friends, both lefties, who bowled on tour during the late 70's and early 80's and they reiterated exactly what so many people knew back then. The PBA was shutting out lefties most weeks for over a decade and yet, EARL continued to win. I'm sorry I took up so much space on here, but so often bowlers seem unaware of this significant history about the tour.