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Once again, the story is 'free-flowing' Rory

Rory McIlroy produced a driving masterclass on Thursday © Getty Images

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ESPN will be providing live commentary during all four days of the US Open from Congressional CC - along with all the news, views and opinion when it gets underway on Thursday

As gloom descended on Congressional Country Club, and with the skies above as ominous as the golf course below, Rory McIlroy came to his ball buried in the thick rough to the left of 9th fairway.

The 22-year-old didn't waste any time. Pulling a club from his bag he strode purposefully over, took his stance and flicked an easy approach to the middle of the green.

No sooner had his ball come to rest, than the heavens opened. And by the time McIlroy had wrapped up a comfortable par, for a peerless, first-round 65 and a three-shot lead, the rain was falling in sheets.

So well had the Northern Irishman played, and with such authority, that you wondered whether the man himself had held back the downfall.

On a day when thoughts returned to McIlroy's meltdown at the Masters, golf's purest talent produced a convincing argument that he's ready to write a sequel. And this time it ends well.

But as good as McIlroy was, the nagging doubts don't go away that easily. He's now led on day one at three of last four majors, and right up until the winning putt drops up Sunday, the questions will continue to be asked of his majors mentality.

Whether Rory can answer them depends greatly on his ability to let his golf do the talking. And he's determined to do just that.

Asked what he'd learned from Augusta, he said, "to stop being so tentative...and to play the free-flowing game I usually do." It's a hard lesson to put into practice, but if manages to heed it, this 111th US Open is his for the taking.

The same could be said for Phil Mickelson, who played alongside McIlroy on his 41st birthday and had the kind of round that makes him the most frustrating genius in golf.

The perennial US Open bridesmaid found the water on at the 10th (his 1st), and got his 21st attempt at winning the tournament away with a double-bogey.

This being Phil, you half-expected him to recover and shoot a record-breaking 63, but that Phil didn't show up. Instead we got the one who misses fairways and putts, and should be relieved he walked away with a three-over-par 74. Which Phil will turn up on Friday is anybody's guess.

Talking of enigmatic golfers, it was a good day to be Sergio Garcia again. El Nino shot a composed opening 69, and furthered the suggestion he can challenge on a course he won on back in 2005.

There were also positive to be taken from the performance of Graeme McDowell - who shot a one-under-par 70 and was mightily relieved that a year of talking about defending his title, had finally made way for him actually defending his title.

Elsewhere, there were plenty of casualties to an unforgiving beast of a golf course that your average club golfer would struggle to break 150 on. Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood finished with 75s, while world No. 1 Luke Donald had to make do with a 74.

To give you some idea of the difficulties faced, two of the three par fives averaged over five shots for the field on day one - and just 33 of the 156 players broke par. Just looking at the par-three 10th is enough to make you wince.

"US Open set-up at Congressional is very tough," Tweeted Stewart Cink after carding a 70. "Even the Port-a-John's are on the edges of the slopes."

With rain and possible storms expected, conditions could be even tougher from tee to green on Friday. But at least the water will slow down the lightning-fast greens somewhat.

Whether anything can slow down the charge of McIlroy remains to be seen.

- Will Tidey will be covering the US Open at Congressional Country Club exclusively for ESPN.co.uk. You can send him your questions via Twitter at www.twitter.com/willtidey

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