Paul McGinley was beaming with pride on Tuesday after being appointed captain of Europe's Ryder Cup team for the biennial match against the United States next year.

The 46-year-old Irishman, who holed the winning putt in the 2002 match at The Belfry, was the unanimous choice of the Players Committee at a meeting in Abu Dhabi and becomes Ireland's first skipper in the history of the event launched in 1927.

Committee chairman Thomas Bjorn said five names were discussed: McGinley, 2010 captain Colin Montgomerie, Paul Lawrie, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Sandy Lyle.