make the cut
1. In golf, to match or better the score necessary to remain in the final two rounds of a four-round tournament. It wasn't looking good for her early in this tournament, but thanks to a string of great shots in the last nine holes, Ms. Ryder was able to make the cut in the end.
2. By extension, to meet the requirements necessary for an application to be successful or to be selected from a group of candidates. You might have an impressive resume, but you'll never make the cut if you don't have excellent interview skills. Because of my poor grades in math, I ended up not making the cut for Harvard.