RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — An intense heat wave will continue through the Fourth of July weekend. Highs will be around 100 degrees, with feels-like temperatures as high as 110 degrees. Daily record high temperatures may also be challenged or even broken.

The combination of intense sunshine and prolonged heat will create dangerous conditions for anyone spending extended periods outdoors. And as the temperatures soar outside, people across Central North Carolina do what they can to stay cool, especially when they have to head out. One homeowner who experienced a hours-long power outage in Durham said it was miserable without his air conditioning. Another said it feels like the heat has intensified in North Carolina.

“I grew up in North Carolina, but I don’t remember waves being quite this intense.”

To compound the misery, ABC11’s Forecast Team says there will be little overnight relief, with temperatures only falling into the mid-70s throughout the heat wave, and the air quality is deteriorating.

Basically, right now, Central NC is a hot, muggy, sweltering, poor-air-quality mess. And it’s expected to last into early next week.

With somewhat stagnant conditions, smoke from Saturday night’s July 4th fireworks could linger into Sunday, something to keep in mind, especially for those who are more sensitive to reduced air quality.

The record-breaking heat has led to organizers tweaking some July 4th plans for the safety of performers, staff, and attendees.

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Fireworks and the Fourth of July go hand in hand.

For Oklahoma in 2026, the Sooners hope to see plenty of fireworks once the season gets rolling. With the schedule they have, they’ll need plenty.

But for today, while grills are firing up and music is blasting away, there are only four fireworks Sooner fans should concern themselves with. These four fireworks could be the difference between 6-6 and 11-1.

Maybe even 12-0. But, no need to get too far ahead of ourselves.

Firework No. 4: Find a 1K Rusher

The hope is that Brent Venables’ public declarations of the Sooners’ “pathetic” running game over the last few seasons have helped instill a new attitude for the offense.

That coupled with the offensive line having a precious year of experience under their belt should lead to a better ground attack in 2026. How much better remains to be seen. But 2025 cannot be repeated.

Xavier Robinson and Tory Blaylock will be healthy for the beginning of fall camp. Should they make it to the UTEP game unscathed, one of them should begin the campaign to 1,000 yards.

Is it realistic that any of them — or the other backs who impressed during spring ball — can make it to the century mark? Perhaps not, but shoot for the moon, right? Anything north of 500 yards for a single back appears to be the bare minimum for a solid running game, which makes the offense better.

Firework No. 3: Beat Michigan

Assuming the UTEP game goes according to plan; you can’t win them all unless you win the next one. The next one is Oklahoma’s first ever visit to the Big House in Ann Arbor.

The Sooners may have caught a break in getting the Wolverines in Kyle Wittingham’s second game as UM’s new head coach. But both programs will see this game as a catapult into the College Football Playoff discussion. Rightfully so.

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OU’s date with Michigan is important because it appears to be — on paper — the easiest of the three juggernaut games to navigate over the first six weeks of the season. Lose to the Wolverines, and you’re staring down the barrel heading to Athens and the Cotton Bowl over the next few weeks.

Beat Michigan, and Oklahoma increases their margin of error. You get two mulligans for the most part.

Firework No. 2: Someone Takes Home a Defensive Trophy

Despite the attention on offense this offseason, this is still a Venables-led program. It’s going to be led by the defense. Even with some questions about depth, this defense is primed to be elite once again.

Individual awards do not guarantee that team success follows. However, should OU win enough games for a playoff berth, someone on defense will have had a massive impact on that trajectory. This season could be one of those years where team success and individual accolades are a package deal.

Kip Lewis and Owen Heinecke are both Butkus Award candidates — Heinecke is thanks to Jim Nagy and Venables’ testimony under oath. Lewis has the better career and a higher ceiling, but Heinecke has the story thanks to his offseason injunction.

David Stone and Taylor Wein will garner plenty of attention and have opportunities to rack up numbers. Don’t forget about Peyton Bowen, who showcased some trophy-winning play at the end of 2025.

Firework No. 1: John Mateer Goes to NYC

This is simply a louder, more spectacular finale than the previous firework.

So-so teams have had Lombardi Award winners and fringe-playoff teams have taken home the Butkus. But very rarely does a Hesiman Trophy contender play for a forgetable team.

The 2026 Sooners, although led by their defense, appear primed to be a team that goes as far as their quarterback takes them. An injury kept the world from seeing what Oklahoma was capable of with a healthy Mateer leading the offense. They’re banking on a healthier and a better-seasoned Mateer in 2026.

If Mateer makes it to New York simply as a finalist, he more than likely conquered two of the three juggernaut games in September-October (if not all three). The Sooners are firmly in the College Football Playoff once again.

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• Anson Point is a new private golf course in Palmetto Bluff, South Carolina, designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw.
• Unlike many new courses, Anson Point was built without any surrounding homes, creating a tranquil, core golf experience.
• The course is noted for its subtle, traditional Lowcountry design that makes it feel as if it has been there for decades.

BLUFFTON, S.C. – Anson Point, the latest design to open by the architectural team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, is a welcomed change of pace in today’s market of high-profile course introductions. Its subtlety and Lowcountry charms offer a sense that the course has been there for decades.

Those sensations run contrary to most recent course openings in the Southeast. The past 10 years have seen a huge boom in high-profile private golf in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. In Florida we have seen Panther National, Apogee, High Grove, Soleta, the soon-to-open Miakka and a host of other developments. Georgia has welcomed Ohoopee Match Club and Fall Line. South Carolina has had The Tree Farm, Old Barnwell, Broomsedge, 21 Club and more come online. These offerings are all welcome additions to the golf scene, and they all feel big, bold and new. 

Where those courses zig, Anson Point zags. The private course is located near the southern tip of Palmetto Bluff, a 20,000-acre waterfront development with three golf courses, a marina, two village centers, a Montage hotel and a wide selection of nature activities. The course plays inland through mostly pines and oaks before offering marshland views from multiple holes on the back nine. 

Opened early this year, Anson Point wasn’t ready in time to qualify for the various 2026 course rankings within this magazine, but it’s easy to anticipate the layout landing coveted spots on the lists as enough raters play it. Palmetto Bluff’s two other courses are the Jack Nicklaus-designed May River, which opened in 2004, and the non-traditional, nine-hole Crossroads by Tad King and Rob Collins, which opened in 2024 and offers a reversible layout. 

Unlike many courses within such large developments, including May River, Anson Point is void of surrounding homes. This adds greatly to the tranquility of the experience. Hats off to South Street Partners and Henderson Park, owners of Palmetto Bluff, for taking such an approach on their newest course.

“The scale and conservation ethos of Palmetto Bluff provided South Street with a unique opportunity to site Anson Point on 500 dedicated acres within which Coore and Crenshaw could design a ‘core golf course’ without any single-family homes fronting the course,” said Chris Randolph, managing partner at South Street Partners. “While direct golf frontage real estate has historically driven premium pricing that developers seek when justifying the cost of golf course and clubhouse construction, South Street believes proximity to a world-class golf experience alone should drive even higher premiums across the entirety of the community.”

This approach, which has been the model at several new courses but not all, works well for both golf and homeowners. Residents receive easy access and increased home values with the close affiliation to the course, yet they are not bothered by mowers early in the morning or golfers in their backyards. Most important, the homes don’t impact the golf.

In an era of frequently wide-open golf, Anson differs from many other new developments in that most internal holes — those away from Savannah River’s marsh with its long views toward Georgia — are framed by trees so that the longest view across the course is about 500 yards. This provides an intimate feel that showcases the subtle features incorporated by Coore and Crenshaw. 

Coore spent ample time at Anson Point discovering a routing that takes golfers through the woods and out to the marsh on multiple occasions. Coore and Crenshaw associate Ryan Farrow was the on-site lead and handled much of the shaping. The green-to-tee walks are short, the fairways and greens hug the ground, the bunkering is sparse, and areas between the fairways and the woods vary based on what was there at the outset of the project. The design embraces all the features that were available, starting at No. 1.

“There was a really special little quarry area with exposed sand and mossy edges, and we sited No. 1 green right there and used that feature as our guiding light for how to best showcase the land,” Coore said. “That and the beautiful trees and marsh edges.” 

There is a mixture of holes, long and short with doglegs left and right. A pair of three-hole stretches on each nine showcase the best of Anson Point. 

The par-5 seventh starts wide and gently narrows all the way to the green – players have choices off the tee, on the second shot and all around the green. The long par-4 eighth looks straight in planning, but on the ground players should favor moving the ball left to right. The tiny par-3 ninth plays across a low sandy area to a green set on a diagonal from front-left to back-right. 

On the back nine, the par-4 15th is drivable for many players, with a small bunker that looks greenside but is well short and must be avoided. The par-5 16th moves from right to left and is reachable for long hitters, but the hole location dictates how to attack. The long par-3 17th plays toward the marsh, starting in a narrow shoot before the hole opens up to a green with a strong flash at the back edge, all with views of Savannah some 10 miles across the water. 

These are all the types of holes that would play differently day to day, and a member would learn the subtle nuances and strategies in time. If it were a resort course, Anson Point might feel a bit underwhelming, as it lacks elevation change, multiple water features and expansive bunkering. But as a member’s course, it is a shining example of the long-term relationship one would seek out. 

“We worked hard to uncover and incorporate little details throughout, and I believe it is a golf course that will reveal itself over time,” Coore said. “I imagine members will like and appreciate it even more after years of play.”

At a time when golf development in the Southeast is booming, it is nice to see that a low-profile layout is still welcome in Lowcountry. Gwk

– Jay Blasi is a golf course architect based in California who writes occasional stories for Golfweek and hosts groups of Golfweek’s Best course raters around the world.