Nelly Korda didn’t take long to return to the winner’s circle, posting a final-round, 3-under-par 69 to win the Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba by four strokes Sunday in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

Korda continued her victorious ways at El Camaleon Golf Course seven days after capturing the Chevron Championship — the first major of the season and the third such title of her career — and returning to the No. 1 world ranking.

Korda entered the day with a three-shot advantage and wound up four ahead of Thailand’s Arpichaya Yubol (70). In third at 12 under was China’s Yu Liu (69), feel-good story Brianna Do (71) finished fourth at 10 under and Colombian amateur Maria Jose Marin (69) placed fifth at 8 under.

“I think it was a perfect week after a major championship, too, where it felt like it was super relaxing but I knew that I needed to grind and I was here to work,” Korda said. “… I’ve had such an amazing time. Yeah, I mean, emphasizing it with a win, at the end of the day that’s what I was coming here for.”

Korda’s only scoring stretch amid two runs of pars came at the fifth through seventh holes. She holed an eagle at the par-5 fifth, then birdied the next two for a 4-under run.

From there, it was 10 straight pars until cleaning up a bogey 6 at the 18th.

“I guess there (were) two parts to my round,” Korda said. “Definitely on my front nine I had my A-game, and then on the back nine I wasn’t playing bad; just wasn’t hitting it close. And then I was kind of cruising and then golf humbled me on the last hole. Made my (second bogey) on the weekend.”

Korda continued a thoroughly dominant season to this point. In six starts, she now has three victories and three second-place finishes.

“I’ve had some amazing moments in my career,” the 27-year-old said. “In 2024 I won five in a row and my fifth one was a major. So I’ve had — I can’t say that one moment in my career was the best. I think all of them have had a different meaning and all of them have been so great in different ways.

“I’m just happy to be competing out here healthy, motivated. You know, I’m so happy on the golf course. I’m happy off the golf course.”

Yubol brushed off an early bogey with birdies at Nos. 4 and 5, but her next eight holes were all pars and she ran out of time to catch up to Korda. A double bogey at No. 16 killed her chances despite three birdies in the last five holes.

“Normally when I play with like another player and they have like a big crowd, so my brain is kind of crazy a little bit, and sometime it’s too hard to like control your game and control your brains, anything,” said Yubol, who played on her 24th birthday.

“But this time, it’s kind of like, I don’t know, maybe it’s my birthday, too. Like I’m growing up; 24 already. Like I talk to myself like all the time. Like even I’m hit bad I’m still talk to myself, you can do it. You can come back any time. Just play your game and everything happen is happen.”

Do, 36, had one top-10 and zero top-five finishes in her LPGA career before this week. She was a co-leader after the first and second rounds but was still pleased with the end result.

“After last year, you know, going into it I believed that my best golf was still ahead of me even though I’m one of the older players out here, and I still believe that. It just showed this week,” Do said. “It’s hard to not get emotional, but I’m really proud of myself and how I played.”

–Field Level Media

The Toronto Maple Leafs hired John Chayka as their next general manager and confirmed team legend Mats Sundin will join the front office in an advisory role Sunday.

The tandem will be introduced in a press conference Monday afternoon.

“Today is an important day for the Toronto Maple Leafs organization,” Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment president and CEO Keith Pelley said in a statement. “I’m thrilled to welcome John and Mats to their roles, two great hockey minds that will strengthen our entire hockey club. From the start of this process, it’s been about building a championship-caliber team for our fans and our city and today is an important step towards that goal.”

Chayka, 36, was general manager of the Arizona Coyotes from 2016-20, the youngest GM in the NHL at the time. A native of Ontario, Chayka has not worked in the league since stepping down abruptly in July 2020 and receiving a suspension from the NHL the following year.

Chayka was found to have “breached his obligation to the club” by terminating his Coyotes’ contract with three years remaining to pursue other jobs. Later, the NHL docked two high draft picks from Arizona after learning Chayka and the club held a private scouting combine for prospects in violation of league regulations.

During his tenure with the Coyotes, they ended an eight-year playoff drought by making the postseason field during the COVID-impacted 2019-20 season.

“I’m honored to join the Toronto Maple Leafs organization and excited to work alongside Mats and the entire organization,” Chayka said in a statement. “This is one of hockey’s most historic franchises, with a passionate fan base who want to win. I’m focused on building a team that is competitive, driven and relentless — one that is in the best position to win for our fans and for the city of Toronto.”

Sundin, 55, will return Toronto and assume the title of senior executive adviser of hockey operations. The Maple Leafs said in their announcement that Sundin will “provide support across hockey operations, with a focus on team culture, player development and leadership support.”

Sundin is the Leafs’ all-time leader in points (987), a Hockey Hall of Famer and a fan favorite.

“This fan base deserves greatness and I am grateful for the opportunity to help this team, organization and city achieve that,” Sundin said in a statement. “My love for the Maple Leafs and the city of Toronto is an important part of who I am and who I will always be. I look forward to working closely with John as we both recognize the incredible opportunity and responsibility to win here in Toronto.”

–Field Level Media

Cade Cunningham scored 32 points and added 12 assists, and Tobias Harris contributed 30 points and nine rebounds to lead the Detroit Pistons to a 116-94 victory over the Orlando Magic on Sunday in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.

Daniss Jenkins came off the bench to score 16 points and Jalen Duren had 15 points and 15 rebounds for the top-seeded Pistons, who won the final three games of the series to advance in the playoffs for the first time since 2008. Detroit is the 15th team in NBA history to rally from a 3-1 deficit.

Paolo Banchero scored 38 points and had nine rebounds and Desmond Bane added 16 points for the Magic, who blew a 3-1 first-round series lead to Detroit for the second time, with the previous collapse coming in 2003.

Detroit advances to the Eastern Conference semifinals and will face either Cleveland or Toronto beginning Tuesday.

The Pistons scored 11 of the first 13 points of the third quarter, six coming from Cunningham, to take control and build a 71-51 lead. Orlando responded with a 7-0 run to cut it to 13, but Detroit pushed the advantage back to as many as 20.

Detroit built a 25-point lead with just more than eight minutes remaining in the game. The Magic responded with a 15-4 run to pull within 100-86 with 4:22 left, but the Pistons scored 16 of the final 24 points to secure the win.

Defense ruled a tightly played first quarter, with neither side able to seize control. The teams traded the lead five times and were tied on three occasions, as physical play and contested shots kept scoring in check.

There were six more lead changes in the second quarter before the Pistons closed the half on a 20-6 run to take a 60-49 lead. Detroit erupted for 40 points in the period, fueled by 17 from Harris and 10 from Cunningham, while Banchero led Orlando with 23 points in the half.

–Field Level Media