2005-01-10 - Rifle Project X Kicks Off ’05 with Mercedes Win TORRINGTON, Conn. — The leading name in premium steel shafts, Rifle® kicked off its 10th anniversary celebration for 2005 in the only appropriate way…by winning the first event of the 2005 PGA season. Trusting Rifle-branded shafts to provide key performance, consistency and accuracy, this year’s champion played Rifle Project X shafts in his irons and wedges to win the Mercedes Championship at the Kapalua Resort in Maui, Hawaii. "This is the third year in a row that Rifle Project X shafts have won the Mercedes Championship, and we’re very excited to begin our 10th-year Rifle anniversary with a great victory,” says John Lauchnor, president and CEO of Royal Precision. "The Project X is an extremely sophisticated steel shaft with each shaft in a set having a different taper per inch for greater energy transfer to the clubhead." Designed and manufactured by Royal Precision to incorporate four unique technologies, Rifle Project X shafts are often considered the world’s most advanced steel shaft because the shaft design incorporates four unique technologies which have proven to provide unparalleled performance and consistency. Only Rifle steel shafts offer: Frequency Matching that perfectly matches a set of clubs through electronic calibration; Stepless Design Technology that eliminates the energy-robbing ‘steps’ found on most other steel shafts, and provides greater accuracy and a smooth, yet solid, feel at impact; Patented Internal ‘Rifling’ that transfers energy more efficiently than other steel shafts, reduces vibration and increases distance; and advanced Flighted Technology that features produces variable ball trajectories for different clubs within a single set. For 2005, Rifle branded steel shafts are celebrating a decade of dominance among premium steel shafts. The shaft brand that won more Majors on the PGA Tour in 2004 than any other steel shaft is celebrating its 10th anniversary with marketing initiatives and special offers held throughout the year at distributors worldwide.