[3] His first success came on November 22, 1986, at the Brunswick Memorial World open in Chicago, Illinois, where he defeated Mark Roth 195–191 and earned a purse of $33,260.
After a four-year stretch of little success, Branham found himself in the final match at the 1991 ABC Masters, where he faced Doug Kent.
He finally returned to the winner's circle in 1993 at the Baltimore Open, crediting the victory over Brian Voss to a tip from then-tour roommate Randy Pedersen.
[6] The Baltimore Open title re-qualified Branham for the 1993 Firestone Tournament of Champions in Fairlawn, Ohio, and he took full advantage.
Branham secured the top seed in qualifying, and his victory over Parker Bohn III in the title match by a score of 227–214[7] earned him a $60,000 first prize.