Jimmy van Rensberg (born 24 October 1931) is a South African former professional snooker player. He won the South African Professional Championship in 1984. He was a record 12-time winner of the South African Amateur Championship.
Born in 1931, van Rensberg turned professional in 1978 at the relatively advanced age of 46. He entered few tournaments in his first several seasons on tour, reaching the final of the 1979 South African Professional Championship after beating Silvino Francisco in the semi-finals; this was van Rensberg's first match in the event, and he lost the final 6âÂÂ9 to Derek Mienie.
After losing 1âÂÂ9 to Tony Meo in qualifying for the 1980 World Championship, van Rensberg next played a competitive match in the 1984 edition of the tournament. There, he beat Vic Harris 10âÂÂ7 and in his last-64 match, came to trail Ray Edmonds 0âÂÂ7. He won the next three frames, but Edmonds took the eleventh and twelfth to leave van Rensberg 3âÂÂ9 behind; however, from there the latter won seven consecutive frames to prevail 10âÂÂ9. In the last 48, he faced Francisco again, but a 0âÂÂ9 deficit proved too much to recover, and he lost 3âÂÂ10.
The 1985 World Championship saw van Rensberg himself fall victim to a comeback, as the Canadian Marcel Gauvreau recovered from 0âÂÂ3 and 6âÂÂ9 to defeat him 10âÂÂ9.
Van Rensberg was able to enter six tournaments in the 1985/1986 season, and recorded his first last-32 finish at the 1986 Classic, where he beat Wayne Jones 5âÂÂ4 and John Parrott 5âÂÂ3 before Steve Davis ended his run with a 1âÂÂ5 loss.
Ranked 59th, a career-best, for 1986/1987, van Rensberg registered three last-64 finishes therein; at the International Open, he lost 3âÂÂ5 to Barry West, while Francisco beat him 5âÂÂ4 in the 1987 Classic and his World Championship qualifying attempt culminated in a 0âÂÂ10 whitewash by Tony Jones.
Poor form followed in the next few years, and during the 1988/1989 season, van Rensberg lost all nine of the matches he played. In the 1989 Hong Kong Open, he made a break of 104 - his first and only century break - in a match against Alain Robidoux, but lost 1âÂÂ5; his best performance that season, and best for several years, was a run to the last 64 at the 1990 Dubai Classic. There, he was beaten 5âÂÂ4 by John Virgo.
A 1âÂÂ5 loss to Tony Wilson of the Isle of Man, in the 1990 British Open, would be van Rensberg's final at competitive level; he never played again, and was relegated from the tour in 1991, aged 59.