A couple of weeks ago, Nancy Lopez finished joint second in an event in Tennessee. Back home with her #33,410 cheque, she settled down in front of the television to watch Tiger Woods win #202,500 for his victory in the Bellsouth Classic.

''I was shocked,'' said the 41-year-old American legend of the women's game. ''I hadn't really noticed what the men were earning. But second place at the Bellsouth was #121,500. It blew me away.

''At one time, I really felt we (the LPGA American Women's Tour) were catching up with the men, but it seems we are beginning to drop back again. It really bothers me.''

It was the charismatic Lopez who catapulted the LPGA Tour into the spotlight when she first hit the circuit 20 years ago. ''I reckon I got just as much attention as Tiger Woods did last year when I first came on tour,'' recalled the player who won nine times, including a record five in a row in her rookie 1978 season. ''It was crazy. The fans, the media . . . everyone wanted a part of me. I had to arrive about three hours early at the course and I had security people around me all the time. At times, it was quite scary.''

But it was great for the women's game. ''We need a Tiger-type personality on tour,'' she continued. ''I've always been outgoing and confident. At the moment, we have a lot of great, great players on the LPGA, but some are just a little shy.

''We also need more national television exposure. The men's tour has a huge advantage in that the same faces are seen week in and week out. Everyone gets to know them.''

But while the women may be struggling to achieve equality with their US counterparts, the LPGA Tour certainly doesn't suffer from an inferiority complex when compared to the Volvo European rankings. In fact, until this week's money-spinning Volvo PGA Championship at Wentworth, the ladies tended to have the edge. Now there are some interesting comparisons.

Janice Moodie, the Windyhill rookie on the LPGA Tour, has amassed #49,241 and stands at No.42 on the LPGA Order of Merit. Fellow-Scot Dean Robertson, who picked up #37,160 for joint fifth in the PGA, is at No.42 on the men's European list with #53,348.

Catriona Matthew and Kathryn Marshall have been regulars on the LPGA tour for several seasons. I'm often asked: ''Do they manage to make a decent living?''

The truth is they are doing very nicely, thank you. Last year, Matthew earned #138,297 in finishing thirty-third on the money list. Scot Andrew Coltart banked just #1745 more in finishing at No.46 on the men's European Tour. Then there are the sponsorship deals. Matthew has backing from Edinburgh Crystal, while Moodie's impressive start was recently recognised when she was signed on as a Ping player. Even the week-to-week expenses are not out of the way for the women in the States. They are often offered hospitality from club members and, if they are not provided with a courtesy car, volunteers transport them to and from the courses.

''It's certainly cheaper than playing on the women's European Tour,'' said Marshall, who has career earnings of over a quarter of a million pounds from four seasons on the tour.

Unfortunately, the women's purses in Europe are a pale comparison. Currently, there is around #2.2m for the eight tournaments on the schedule. The LPGA offers #20m and 42 tournaments. No wonder all the top Europeans head west.

However, the majority - including Matthew and Marshall - will be returning next week for the belated start of the European LPGA Tour. And the good news is that the Evian Masters in France can boast about the prize-money.

The total fund is #500,000 - a #100,000 increase from last year - with #75,000 going to the winner. And, later this year, a woman will, for the first time, pick up a six-figure cheque for winning a golf tournament in Europe.

Whoever becomes the Weetabix British Women's Open champion at Royal Lytham and St Anne's in August will be #100,000 richer. The total purse is a record #575,000.

The one Scottish event on the women's tour this year is the McDonald's LPGA Championship at Gleneagles from August 6 to 9. At present, the prize-money stands at #300,000 - the same as last year. But it could be more. ''We've not finalised the prize fund as yet,'' said the tournament founder, Herb Lotman. But, as ever, Europe has come off second best. The McDonald's LPGA Championship is a major worth #812,500. Korean Se Ri Pak, who won the title in Wilmington, Delaware, two weeks ago, picked up #121,875.