Danny WIllett claimed a shock Masters victory ©Getty Images

Defending champion Jordan Spieth suffered a remarkable collapse in the final round of The Masters today at Augusta National in Georgia to hand England's Danny Willett a first British victory at the season-opening major for 20 years.

Spieth, the world number two who has led for seven successive rounds of Masters action over the last two years, led by five shots as he approached the 10th, only to drop six shots in three holes.

This culminated in a woeful quadruple bogey on the iconic par-three 12th, where the 22-year-old twice found the water in front of the green.

Willett, playing three groups ahead of the American, was thus catapulted into the lead.

The 28-year-old held on superbly to score a five-under-pan 67 and win overall by three shots.

"It's been crazy. You can't really describe the emotions and feelings," he said afterwards.

"We all try to play good golf and someone has to win and fortunately today it was my day.

"It was a very surreal day when you look back at the ebbs and flows."

Jordan Spieth had to settle for joint second after a costly collapse ©Getty Images
Jordan Spieth had to settle for joint second after a costly collapse ©Getty Images

It marked the first British Masters win since fellow Englishman Nick Faldo triumphed in 1996.

His victory was all the more remarkable considering Willett, who has risen rapidly from outside the world's top 100 to number 12 in less than two years, was considering withdrawing from the event last week as his wife Nicole was due to give birth today.

Spieth was forced to settle for joint second with another Englishman in Lee Westwood, who carded a three-under 69 today.

"It was just a lack of discipline coming off the two bogeys instead of realising I was still leading the Masters by a couple of shots," Spieth said after arguably the biggest setback of his career so far.

"I have no doubt about my ability to close majors, I just think it was a very tough 30 minutes that hopefully I don't experience again."

JB Holmes and Dustin Johnson finished tied for fourth place with yet another Englishman in Paul Casey.

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy's hunt for a first Masters win continues, however, after he finished joint 10th in a group also including Australia's world number one, Jason Day.

United States' Smylie Kaufman and Germany's Bernhard Langer each faded from contention after starting the day in second and third respectively.

Langer placed joint 24th after a final round of 79 while Kaufman hit 81 in the tough conditions to slide to joint 29th.