England’s Willett wins dramatic masters

Danny Willett claimed a shock Masters win with a superb five-under-par 67 as 2015 champion Jordan Spieth crumbled during a thrilling final round.

Englishman Willett, 28, won his first major by three shots to become the first British victor in 20 years.

Overnight leader Spieth, 22, led by five shots as he approached the 10th at Augusta, but the American dramatically dropped six shots in three holes.

He ended with a one-over 73, tying for second with England's Lee Westwood.

Westwood's three-under-par 69 gave him his second Masters runners-up finish, with Paul Casey, another Englishman, tied for fourth.

Spieth will be left ruing a remarkable collapse on the iconic par-three 12th, twice finding the water in front of the green as he carded a quadruple bogey seevn.

That catapulted Sheffield's Willett, who was playing the par-five 15th, into the outright lead — one that he would not relinquish after signing for the joint-lowest round of the final day.

The world number 12 received a standing ovation as he walked towards the 18th green, on the verge of emulating fellow Englishman Nick Faldo in 1996.

Spieth, now unable to catch Willett after bogeying 17, was given a sympathetic reception as he trudged towards the clubhouse about 30 minutes later, but it was no consolation for the emotional two-time major winner.

The world number two, the pre-tournament favourite, faced further ignominy by having to help Willett into the Green Jacket.

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

"We all try to play good golf and someone has to win. Fortunately today it was my day. It was a very surreal day when you look back at the ebbs and flows."

Willett's rapid rise

Willett is one of the golf's rising stars, having climbed from outside the top 100 to the verge of the top 10 in less than two years.

But few would have predicted a first major win in only his second appearance on the unforgiving Augusta course, especially because the Yorkshireman's participation at the Masters had been in doubt, with his wife Nicole due to give birth on the final day.

However, the early arrival of baby Zachariah meant Willett, who said he would have stayed at home if his son had not been born, was able to play.

Willett lay three shots adrift of Spieth going into Sunday after opening rounds of 70, 74 and 72.

But he moved to within a stroke with a birdie at the eighth, his eagle putt just coming up short, on his way to a front-nine 34.

Spieth's remarkable meltdown

Spieth was aiming to become only the fourth back-to-back winner at Augusta.

He stood on the 10th tee with a five-shot lead after four straight birdies, only to see that advantage dwindle to one by the time he walked onto the 12th.

Bogeys at the 10th and 11th, coupled with birdies for Willett just ahead on the 13th and 14th, resulted in a four-shot swing.

Then came Spieth's remarkable meltdown at the 12th.

The world number two planted his tee shot into into Rae's Creek, then clubbed a heavy second attempt into the water, finally finding the bunker at the back for five.

He managed to get up and down from there, but the damage was done.

Willett, seemingly oblivious to all the drama behind him, took the outright lead as a result of Spieth's quadruple bogey.

"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," said Spieth.

"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."

English invasion

Willett was not the only Englishman to impress in the final round.

Westwood, who also finished second in 2010, moved into contention with three birdies before the turn.

An eagle on the par-five 15th put the former world number one, 42, within a shot of Willett, only for a bogey on the next and two final pars to leave him short.

Former Ryder Cup player Paul Casey and young Yorkshireman Matt Fitzpatrick, the only two in the 57-man field to match Willett's final-round 67, finished tied fourth and tied seventh respectively.

Justin Rose, the 2013 US Open champion, finished in a tie for 10th on one over, alongside Northern Ireland's four-time major winner Rory McIlroy and world number one Jason Day.

McIlroy struggles

McIlroy started the week bidding to become only the sixth man to win all four majors, but his chances of overhauling the rest of the field were slim following a third-round 77.

The Northern Irishman then bogeyed the first after pushing a nervy opening tee-shot right into the trees.

The world number three, 26, birdied the third to go back level but slipped back again with dropped shots on the next two holes.

He finished with a scrappy round of 71 thanks to six birdies and three bogeys.

"This is the one that I haven't won and this is the one I want to win more than anything else," said the former Open, US PGA and US Open champion.

"Once I overcome that mental hurdle that I'm struggling with at the minute, then I know how to play this course."

German veteran Bernhard Langer, who won the Green Jacket in 1985 and 1993, began two shots off the lead and dreaming of becoming the oldest major champion by a decade.

But the 58-year-old former world number one made a nightmare start, bogeying the first and dropping two more on the third.

Four more bogeys left him tied 24th.

It was a more memorable day for Ireland's Shane Lowry, US Ryder Cup captain Davis Love and 2010 Open champion Louis Oosthuizen, who all claimed holes-in-one on the par-three 16th.