Birdies put Jordan Spieth in the thick of the action at Augusta

Defending champion Jordan Spieth assumed his customary position on a crowded leaderboard in the early stages of the 80th Masters today.

Spieth, who was second on his debut in 2014 and claimed a first green jacket with a record-breaking performance 12 months ago, is looking to join Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods in making a successful title defence at Augusta National.