Paul McGinley became the first Irishman to be named European Ryder Cup captain when the announcement was made for the 2014 match-up here on Tuesday. The 46-year-old, a three-time Ryder Cup winner as a player who holed the winning putt in the 2002 edition, was seen as the hot favourite to get the nod to skipper the defending champions. McGinley, who was World No.1 Rory McIlroy\'s preferred choice for the role, replaces Jose Maria Olazabal and will pit his wits against US captain, legend Tom Watson, at Gleneagles in Scotland between September 26-28, 2014. Watson tweeted his congratulations to McGinley. \"Congrats to Paul McGinley on your R/C Captaincy. Looking forward to our future competition. You\'re a class act.\" From : AFP