Family life can always have its tensions, but it goes up a level when you are playing together on the same team in LIV Golf — and your games are at opposite ends of the spectrum.

Smash siblings Brooks and Chase Koepka are facing that reality right now as elder brother Brooks leads the way after Day 2 of the LIV finale at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in Jeddah, will little brother Chase is in the dreaded Drop Zone, facing the real prospect of losing his playing rights for the 2024 season — and a place on Brooks’ team.

Brooks shot a stunning eight-under 62 to get to 12-under and lead by three from Sergio Garcia and Charles Howell III, and is 18 holes away from defending his LIV Golf Jeddah title.

Chase, on the other hand, is two-over, 44th out of 48 players and looks certain to finish in the bottom four in the year-long  points standings and have to go through a playoff with the finest Asian Tour players to have any hope of making it back in 2024.

Brooks was showing a little less than brotherly love as he spoke following his round on Saturday.

“I mean, there’s nothing I can do,” he said of Chase’s plight. “At the end of the day, it’s up to him. I know he’s working hard. I know he’s been trying. We’ve been practising together quite a bit. Honestly, he’s struggling a little bit. I’ve been there. We’ve all been there. Every golfer has.

“It’s part of it. You look at it, he was playing mini-tour golf 16 months ago. I don’t think the last year-and-a-half has been too bad for him.

“I don’t know what he’s going to do. You’re going to have to ask him. It’s completely up to him whether he wants to keep playing, go play Asian Tour, play if he can play or stop playing. I don’t know. We haven’t had that conversation. That’s for him to decide. I’m not going to force him or encourage him to go one way or another. It’s a big life choice, so I’ll let him decide that.”

After his Jeddah playoff victory last year, Brooks said he had promised to buy Chase a Lamborghini if he won. Things seem to have changed…

“Yeah, he got team money last year, so that was the difference,” Brooks said on Saturday. “He’s doing just fine. He blew his back right tyre out, so maybe he can buy a new tyre. I know he got it fixed a couple weeks ago, so yeah, he’s on his own now.”

Of his own performance on Saturday — eight birdies and 10 pars on a blemish-free card — Brooks was back to his dry-humour best when asked how he thought he performed.

“Made eight birdies, 10 pars,” he said. “I played pretty solid, made a couple good putts early on, which obviously helps with momentum, and drove it pretty well other than my last hole. Never really felt like I had a chance to make a bogey. Pretty pleased with it today.”

So, what’s the game plan to make it back-to-back wins at LIV Golf Jeddah?

“Just got to go play a good round of golf. That’s it. Just keep doing what I’m doing. Seems to be working since I’m at the top. Just go play good, see what happens tomorrow.”