Ryder captain McGinley thanks Irish crew

New Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley has hailed the support of Rory McIlroy after he was chosen to lead Europe at Gleneagles in 2014.

McIlroy emerged at the back of a ballroom within the St Regis Hotel in Abu Dhabi shortly after the 46-year old Dubliner was announced as the replacement for Jose Maria Olazabal.

Joining McIlroy in an unprecedented show of all-Ireland support for the first Irish-born captain in the 86-history of the Ryder Cup was Pádraig Harrington, Shane Lowry and Peter Lawrie, who had been a member of the committee who minutes earlier voted unanimously in favour of McGinley.