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Stephen Maguire has said that his recent laser eye surgery could help him win the Grand Prix this season in his home city Glasgow.

Maguire, ranked second in the world behind Ronnie O'Sullivan, suffered a shock first round exit in his home tournament last year when he lost 5-1 to Jamie Cope, but has marked the October tournament as one of his main targets this season.

"I didn't get time to enjoy it last year and I was really angry at myself for going out in the first round," admitted the Milton man.

"I didn't handle the pressure of playing in front of my home crowd and my performance was embarrassing.

"I didn't prepare properly for the event, I was rushing around getting tickets for people rather than focussing on my snooker. This time it will be different."

Maguire went under the laser six weeks ago for the surgery which could transform his game and there were some good early signs that it is working as he won the first Pro Challenge Series event in Leeds last week.

"I wish I'd had it done two years ago," he said. "There were times when I was trying to work out whether a ball close to the pocket would go, and I'd either go for it and miss it, or I'd leave it and my opponent would pot it and make me look silly. Now at least I'm on a par with the other players in terms of being able to see the balls properly.

"I was also playing matches where my eyes were really struggling under the lights, and I was tailing off towards the end. It had been playing on my mind for a while so I'm so glad I can make a fresh start now and hopefully get back to winning titles."

The Grand Prix will again feature an exciting FA Cup-style draw, with the top 16 seeds to be drawn at random against the 16 qualifiers.

The event runs from October 3 to 11 with the qualifiers running from September 21 to 24.

Eurosport