Leona Maguire hits a shot on the 12th hole during the second round at the 2022 U.S. Women's Open Presented by ProMedica at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C. on Friday, June 3, 2022. (Darren Carroll/USGA)

Rory McIlroy and Leona Maguire know it’s all about avoiding mistakes but they also showed they have the guts to go for glory as they produced two stunning fairway woods to keep their victory hopes alive in the US.

While McIlroy is a week away from the US Open at the Country Club at Brookline, the four-time Major winner gave notice he will be a factor in Boston when he made a spectacular eagle three and four birdies in a three-under 69 to share ninth place at halfway in the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village.

The Holywood star was frustrated by three “silly bogeys” but showed in reducing the 541-yard fifth to a pair of 269-yard five-woods and a six-foot putt, he’s not afraid to put his neck on the line.

“I felt l made a couple of silly bogeys yesterday and a couple of silly bogeys today but other than that I played very, very well,” McIlroy said.

At five-under, he was four behind Australian Cameron Smith who shot 69 to lead by a shot from and KH Lee with Shane Lowry tied 17th on three-under after missed fairways led to three bogeys than cancelled out the three birdies in his 72.

Keen to win Jack Nicklaus’ tournament for the first time and receive a handshake from the Gold Bear on Sunday, McIlroy knows what he has to do in Ohio.

“I’ve hit it in the fairway pretty often,” he said. “As it firms up, I think just the premium’s on ball-striking, hitting fairways and hitting greens. If you can do that around here, you're going to have a chance.”

Like McIlroy, Maguire (27) knows she has to reduce her errors, despite carding a second successive 70 in the US Women’s Open at Pine Needles in North Carolina to share 17th on two-under,, seven shots behind American Mina Harigae and Australia’s Minjee Lee.

As Harigae added a 69 to her opening 64, Lee shot 66 to leave them two shots ahead of Korea’s Hyejin Choi and Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist by two shots on seven-under, the Co Cavan star (27) was left to rue three bogeys and a double-bogey six at the 14th.

But she was also pleased to make six birdies and take her haul for the week to 10 with the pick of them a 230-yard approach to 11 feet at the 17th.

“I think I did a really good job at staying patient, staying disciplined, committing to my targets into the greens,” Maguire said after making two birdies in her last four holes.

“I've never shot under par in the US Open before, so I've done it two days in a row, which is nice. Just more of the same for the weekend.”

Conscious of disaster lurking and opportunity awaiting at every turn, she said: “That's the challenge of a US Open. You can't switch off for a second. You have to keep committing to your targets and just try and hit them in the right spots and take advantage.

“Ultimately I'm still quite a ways back. It feels pretty bunched, so you never know what's going to happen. I've had quite a few birdies, more birdies than I expected over the last two days, so I’m trying to keep those bogeys off the card for the weekend.”

Stephanie Meadow felt she needed a “miracle” to make the cut after a 74 and was proved correct as she missed the weekend by one stroke.

She said: “It was pretty bad, to be honest. Just sloppy. Really sloppy. I was looking pretty good for a birdie on (the par-five 15th), three yards off the front of the green, and ended up with a bogey. You just can't do that in major golf and I'll probably end up missing the cut.”

Just three Irishmen made the cut in European golf, however.

At the Porsche European Open in Hamburg, 2017 winner Jordan Smith shot 68 to head Victor Perez by two shots on six-under at Green Eagle Golf where Niall Kearney shot 72 but missed the cut by two shots on six-over and Cormac Sharvin (12 over) and Jonathan Caldwell (16 over) exited early again.

Only Kinsale’s John Murphy made the level par cut in the D+D REAL Czech Challenge, carding a 68 to make it on two-under, four shots behind David Boote, Ugo Coussaud and Lorenzo Scalise at Golf & Spa Kunětická Hora.

David Carey was sixth overnight and Tom McKibbin 12th but both carded seven-over 77s to miss the level par cut comfortably.

Gavin Moynihan missed out by a shot after a 71, Conor Purcell by three following a 70 as Paul Dunne’s 74 left him in four-over with Carey with McKibbin five-over and Paul McBride 10-over after a 73.

As for the Asian Tour’s International Series England at Slaley Hall, Graeme McDowell shot 69 to lie tied 13th on three-under, three shots behind South Africa’s Justin Harding and Korea’s Joohyung Kim as Waterford’s Kevin Phelan missed the three-over cut by three shots after a 75.

On the LET, Olivia Mehaffey missed the cut by a shot in the Ladies Italian Open at Golf Club Margara.

She was two shots inside the mark with two holes to go but made her second triple-bogey seven of the week, this time at the eighth, and shot a second successive 75 to miss by one stroke on six-over.

South Africa’s Lee-Anne Pace leads on eight-under.