Si Woo Kim is feeling “good” after returning to Detroit for the Rocket Classic, which begins Thursday. But if we believe Michael S. Kim’s account, the lead-up to the tournament was far from smooth. He recently shared a rather funny anecdote on X: the four-time PGA champ accidentally drove into Canada after relying on Google Maps while heading to dinner. Now, speaking to a reporter at the event, the 31-year-old has shared his side of the story. 

Michael had texted Si Woo, asking him to join him for dinner at a restaurant he frequented. Si Woo agreed, put the location on Google Maps, and drove. As the restaurant was 1.5 miles away from his hotel, he thought he was heading in the right direction. He didn’t have Canada in his mind at all. Following the instructions, he somehow made a turn and reached a tollgate. He hadn’t realized something was wrong until this point. 

“Then, as soon as I got into the tunnel, I was like, ‘Oh, this is Canada,’” Si Woo told the reporter in broken English. I went to immigration. I told my situation. And then I went to the parking garage office. I was so freaking out [because] I couldn’t speak English very much. So he thought I was a weird guy. So the guys just came at me, searching my car. And somehow, I got out of it.”

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Michael first posted about the incident on X, revealing that eight border patrol officers stopped and questioned Si Woo as he returned from the Canadian side. Naturally, the reporter asked whether the 31-year-old had told them he was in town to play Rocket Classic. Si Woo Kim confirmed he had, adding that the officers even asked him if he would win on Sunday. His response drew a laugh: “If you let me through, I can.” 

Despite the unexpected detour, Si Woo eventually made it to dinner 90 minutes later. He was heading to Daebak Korean BBQ in Southfield, Michigan, all along, making his navigation mishap a little more understandable. The restaurant sits just 19.5 miles from the U.S.-Canada border crossing. It’s a drive of roughly 26 minutes, meaning one wrong turn was enough to send him to Canada.

Both Michael and Si Woo will tee off at the Rocket Classic on July 30. The 145-player field will compete for a $10 million purse at the Detroit Golf Club. Interestingly, though, Si Woo’s troubles in Detroit will only get worse thanks to the tournament. Ahead of the event, the course has undergone substantial renovations to make it more challenging.  

The tougher setup is fitting for what marks the last edition of the Rocket Classic. Rocket Mortgage announced last month that it would end its partnership with the PGA Tour. Whether the challenging course or his eventful start to the week will continue to trouble Si Woo Kim remains to be seen.