A sign reading "FREE TOLL FOR SI WOO KIM" is displayed on the entrance marquee of the tunnel connecting the United States and Canada. [Windsor-Detroit Tunnel Instagram/Newsis]
A sign reading "FREE TOLL FOR SI WOO KIM" is displayed on the entrance marquee of the tunnel connecting the United States and Canada. [Windsor-Detroit Tunnel Instagram/Newsis]

A toll tunnel connecting the United States and Canada made headlines after its operators posted a sign reading "FREE TOLL FOR SI WOO KIM" on its entrance marquee.

According to local media including the Detroit News, the authority managing the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel — which links Detroit and Windsor, Ontario — put up the message Saturday (local time).

The lighthearted gesture came after South Korean professional golfer Si Woo Kim accidentally crossed the border without his passport while heading to dinner during a PGA Tour event.

On July 28, Kim had arranged to have dinner with Korean American fellow player Michael Kim in Detroit, where the PGA Tour's Rocket Classic was being held, and entered a restaurant called "Daebakjip" into his navigation system.

The app directed him not to a nearby Detroit location but to a restaurant of the same name in Windsor, Canada — sending him across the border without a passport. By the time he sensed something was wrong, he had already entered a one-way road with no option to turn back.

In an interview with CBS, Kim said he only realized what had happened when he saw a $9 toll at the tunnel entrance. "I thought, why is this so expensive — and then it hit me, oh, this is Canada," he said.

Kim explained the situation to Canadian border agents, telling them he was traveling in a PGA Tour vehicle, but tensions rose as eight patrol officers searched the car. When one of them asked whether he would win the tournament, Kim reportedly replied, "If you let me through safely, then yes" — breaking the ice.

After the incident, the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel's official social media account posted a friendly message saying it would be "thrilled" if Kim came back for another drive through the tunnel.

Windsor-Detroit Tunnel CEO Tal Chudner also visited Detroit Golf Club this week to personally hand Kim an invitation. "But please bring your passport," Chudner said with a laugh, adding, "Take the tournament trophy home with you."

South Korean professional golfer Si Woo Kim [AFP]
South Korean professional golfer Si Woo Kim [AFP]

Meanwhile, Kim finished the PGA Tour's Rocket Classic at 6-under-par 274, tying for 42nd place. He retained seventh place in the FedEx Cup standings.


bbo@heraldcorp.com